The Hindu Business Line : Railways handles Nepal's exports thru Birgunj ICD

THE Indian Railways has started handling Nepal's third country exports and imports (trade with countries other than India) in covered wagons for loading and unloading respectively at the Birgunj inland clearance depot (ICD) located within the Nepalese territory.

The beginning was made in April when the Railways placed the first empty rake of BCN wagons (one rake comprising 60 wagons with a carrying capacity of 55 tonnes each) at the Birgunj ICD for transportation of Nepalese sugar for exports through the Kolkata Dock System. Right now, it has placed the BCN rakes at the Kolkata Dock System for loading and transportation of imported mustard seed, rapeseed and peas for Nepal for unloading at the Birgunj ICD.

In October and November, a total of 10 rakes will be moved into Birgunj with imported seeds and peas. The first vessel is being unloaded at the Kidderpore Dock of the Kolkata Dock System. It will be followed by another vessel to be berthed at the Netaji Subhas Dock.

With this, the Railways has started moving, for the first time, its own covered wagons inside the Nepalese territory. Container Corporation of India (Concor), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Railways, has been handling movement of containers, both loaded and empties, between the Kolkata Dock System and the Birgunj ICD since July last year.

The Railways sources hope that the movement of BCN wagons to and from Birgunj ICD will also brighten the prospects of the ICD handling the bilateral trade, that is, the trade between Indian and Nepal. Till now, the ICD handled only the third country trade routed through the Kolkata port.

The hope for bilateral trade has been bolstered by the recent agreement between the two countries allowing the Indian Railways to move open wagons to and from the Birgunj ICD. The need for movement of open wagons has arisen in view of the movement of large quantities of steel items from India to Nepal.

An estimated 80,000 tonnes of steel items from various public sector steel plants are now transported into the Nepalese territory by road. Once the open wagons start moving, a chunk of this traffic can be transferred to rail, it is felt.

Concor, which is doing the marketing for the Railways to procure traffic for the BCN wagons, hopes that cement is another item which can be moved from various plants in India to the Birgunj ICD.

Concor holds 40 per cent equity stake in Himalayan Terminal Pvt Ltd, the joint venture company that runs the Birgunj ICD. The level of throughput of the ICD so far leaves much to be desired.

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Railways handles Nepal's exports thru Birgunj ICD