Banglabandha land port remains elusive
Saturday, 20 September 2008
PANCHAGARH, Sept 19 (UNB): A full-fledged land port at Banglabandha, on the country's northern tip at Tentulia, remained elusive in absence of a Bangladesh-India-Nepal tripartite trade agreement.
The government invested in millions for building infrastructures at the land port. Warehouse, truck parking, office complex, telephone exchange, power sub-station, water facilities, police barrack, bank, immigration are all lying unused and gradually withering away.
'Soft Opening' of the land port was held in May 2004 in presence of top government officials and senior vice-president of Nepal Chamber of Federation Sandiraj Rakhal Sharma.
The check-post at Phulbari is controlled by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) who open the gate of barbed wire border fence for only three hours a day. Only four Nepali trucks with goods are given pass a day to come up to the zero point of the border for truck-to-truck loading and unloading of goods.
Nepali traders said trucks loaded with goods bound for Banglabandha used to wait for days at Kakarvita for permission of the Indian authorities.
Banglabandha was given to a private firm -- Ibra -- on a 25-year lease. Its manager Kazi Al Tariq said they could not yet begin operation commercially.
He said the land port has a bright prospect of trade with Nepal, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Bhutan and the seven sisters of Eastern India.
Shiliguri and Jalpaiguri that connect the seven sisters are very close to the land port.
The distance to the tourist town of Darjeeling is 58 kilometres, Kakarvita on Nepal border is 61 kilometres while Bhutan is 68 kilometres. The land route to these places provides the easiest transaction of goods.
The step towards raising Banglabandha as a full-fledged land port was taken following SAFTA agreement reached in the twelfth SAARC summit in Islamabad with the objective of increasing the volume of trade among the member countries.
The business community has urged the government to move for India-Bangladesh-Nepal tripartite trade accord towards invigorating the Banglabandha land port.
The government invested in millions for building infrastructures at the land port. Warehouse, truck parking, office complex, telephone exchange, power sub-station, water facilities, police barrack, bank, immigration are all lying unused and gradually withering away.
'Soft Opening' of the land port was held in May 2004 in presence of top government officials and senior vice-president of Nepal Chamber of Federation Sandiraj Rakhal Sharma.
The check-post at Phulbari is controlled by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) who open the gate of barbed wire border fence for only three hours a day. Only four Nepali trucks with goods are given pass a day to come up to the zero point of the border for truck-to-truck loading and unloading of goods.
Nepali traders said trucks loaded with goods bound for Banglabandha used to wait for days at Kakarvita for permission of the Indian authorities.
Banglabandha was given to a private firm -- Ibra -- on a 25-year lease. Its manager Kazi Al Tariq said they could not yet begin operation commercially.
He said the land port has a bright prospect of trade with Nepal, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Bhutan and the seven sisters of Eastern India.
Shiliguri and Jalpaiguri that connect the seven sisters are very close to the land port.
The distance to the tourist town of Darjeeling is 58 kilometres, Kakarvita on Nepal border is 61 kilometres while Bhutan is 68 kilometres. The land route to these places provides the easiest transaction of goods.
The step towards raising Banglabandha as a full-fledged land port was taken following SAFTA agreement reached in the twelfth SAARC summit in Islamabad with the objective of increasing the volume of trade among the member countries.
The business community has urged the government to move for India-Bangladesh-Nepal tripartite trade accord towards invigorating the Banglabandha land port.