Petrapole check post to improve; trade with Bangladesh to get boost
Updated: Jul 14, 2014 01:00:54pm
Kolkata, Jul 14 (KNN) Those doing trade with Bangladesh can hope for improvement in infrastructure with the Railways PSU - RITES Ltd taking up development of integrated check post (ICP) at Petrapole along Indo-Bangladesh international border.
The estimated cost of the project is Rs 1,39,42,500.
The RITES is taking up the project on behalf of the Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) (Ministry of Home Affairs).
Nearly Rs 15 crore to Rs 20 crore worth of goods, mostly edible and essentials are traded between India and Bangladesh daily, reports have said.
The largest land customs station in Asia, Petrapole is located about 95 km from Kolkata. The commodities traded through the Petrapole LCS (Land customs stations) come from all over India. Kolkata is the final transhipment area for most of them, and they are carried to the Petrapole border by truck through National Highway 35, formerly known as Jessore Road, because the road originates in Jessore in Bangladesh.
The delay on this route occurs because of heavy traffic and narrowed road because of encroachments.
On average, 250 trucks travel daily along Jessore Road. The road passes through very congested towns and three railway crossings that hold up traffic. Another major hurdle is the Naobhasa Bridge, 3 km from Petrapole. The bridge is so narrow that at a time only one truck can pass. Moreover, heavy trucks with a carrying capacity of 15–18 tonnes, or even more, cannot pass through this bridge because of its decrepit condition. This results in transhipments of goods in smaller trucks, either in Kolkata or Bongaon, incurring additional transportation cost and time.
The delays at the border take place at the parking lots, customs clearances, and entry/exit Points. Further, non-transparent customs procedures and documentations at the border result in significant costs and delays. So, exporters employ clearing agents on commission to undertake paper work at the border.
The land port alone accounts for nearly 60 per cent of the bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh.
The ICPs are envisaged to overcome the infrastructural bottlenecks at various entry and exit points on the land borders of the country. They are expected to provide facilities for effective and efficient discharge of sovereign functions such as security, immigration, customs, quarantine, etc. while also providing support facilities for smooth cross-border movement of persons, goods and transport.
The Department of Border Management has planned to set up 13 ICPs on India’s borders with Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Myanmar.
The ICPs are being commissioned to secure India's borders against interests hostile to the country and to put in place systems to interdict such elements while facilitating legitimate trade and commerce as a part of an overall strategy for improved border management, as per official data.
India shares a 4,096-km border with Bangladesh, 3,323 km with Pakistan, 1,751 km with Nepal and 1,643 km with Myanmar. (KNN/ES)
The estimated cost of the project is Rs 1,39,42,500.
The RITES is taking up the project on behalf of the Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) (Ministry of Home Affairs).
Nearly Rs 15 crore to Rs 20 crore worth of goods, mostly edible and essentials are traded between India and Bangladesh daily, reports have said.
The largest land customs station in Asia, Petrapole is located about 95 km from Kolkata. The commodities traded through the Petrapole LCS (Land customs stations) come from all over India. Kolkata is the final transhipment area for most of them, and they are carried to the Petrapole border by truck through National Highway 35, formerly known as Jessore Road, because the road originates in Jessore in Bangladesh.
The delay on this route occurs because of heavy traffic and narrowed road because of encroachments.
On average, 250 trucks travel daily along Jessore Road. The road passes through very congested towns and three railway crossings that hold up traffic. Another major hurdle is the Naobhasa Bridge, 3 km from Petrapole. The bridge is so narrow that at a time only one truck can pass. Moreover, heavy trucks with a carrying capacity of 15–18 tonnes, or even more, cannot pass through this bridge because of its decrepit condition. This results in transhipments of goods in smaller trucks, either in Kolkata or Bongaon, incurring additional transportation cost and time.
The delays at the border take place at the parking lots, customs clearances, and entry/exit Points. Further, non-transparent customs procedures and documentations at the border result in significant costs and delays. So, exporters employ clearing agents on commission to undertake paper work at the border.
The land port alone accounts for nearly 60 per cent of the bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh.
The ICPs are envisaged to overcome the infrastructural bottlenecks at various entry and exit points on the land borders of the country. They are expected to provide facilities for effective and efficient discharge of sovereign functions such as security, immigration, customs, quarantine, etc. while also providing support facilities for smooth cross-border movement of persons, goods and transport.
The Department of Border Management has planned to set up 13 ICPs on India’s borders with Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Myanmar.
The ICPs are being commissioned to secure India's borders against interests hostile to the country and to put in place systems to interdict such elements while facilitating legitimate trade and commerce as a part of an overall strategy for improved border management, as per official data.
India shares a 4,096-km border with Bangladesh, 3,323 km with Pakistan, 1,751 km with Nepal and 1,643 km with Myanmar. (KNN/ES)
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