Mobile traders stage roadblock in Agargaon over high taxes, NEIR issues

Mobile phone traders staged a road blockade in front of the BTRC headquarters in the capital's Agargaon on Sunday morning (December 7), demanding reforms to the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) system and a reduction in import taxes.

The protest, which began around 10:30am, involved shop owners and employees from various shopping malls, causing significant traffic disruption.

The traders called for a cut in mobile import taxes from 57% to 10–12%, reform of the NEIR system, and an end to market syndicates. Leaders of the Mobile Business Community of Bangladesh said previous appeals to authorities had gone unheeded, forcing them to take to the streets.

They warned that the protest could escalate if discussions are not held before the NEIR rollout on December 16.

Monirul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station, confirmed traffic disruptions, saying, "Officials were negotiating with protesters to clear the road."

Earlier, on November 30, mobile traders held a human chain in Karwan Bazar–Panthapath, ahead of the government’s NEIR launch, which will restrict the use of unregistered, stolen, or unauthorised phones on the network.