The Hindu Business Line : Petrapole LCS to come under port authority

In preparation for the expected spurt in two-way trade between India and Bangladesh beginning July 1, under SAFTA (South Asian Free Trade Agreement), the Petrapole Land Customs Station in West Bengal will soon come under Land Customs Port Authority under the care of the Union Home Ministry.

The station will manage all the border trade centres. A proposal to this effect is being sent to the Union Cabinet for approval. It is the place through which 80 per cent of country's total merchandise exports (Rs 3,300 crore) to Bangladesh takes place.

Setwee port

The Union Government also proposes to invest $103 million to develop the "Setwee Port" near Myanmar by linking with the Kaladan River to access Mizoram from the mainland without using the Bangladesh corridor.

The Foreign Secretary, Mr Shyam Saran, is in Rangoon finalising the project details, to be soon implemented by RITES (Rail India Technical Economic Services).

The project, funds allocation for which is now available, and which took some six years to take final shape, will be completed within three years from zero date. It is felt that it will also free India from the shackles of dependence on Bangladesh, for development of the North Eastern region.

LCS points modernisation

The Government also proposes to spend a sum of Rs 800 crore over a period of three years on modernisation of 13 border trade centres in the country - eight in West Bengal and North East, four in Nepal and one at the India-Pakistan centre at Attari.

The four centres in West Bengal are Petrapole, Phulbari, Chengrabandha and Hili), one in Meghalaya (Dawki), one in Agartala (Akhoura), one in Assam (Sutarkandi) and one in Mizoram (Dimagiri). The Bangladesh side has also agreed to modernise their side of the respective LCS points in preparation for SAFTA. Full-fledged electronic data interface links will also be established.

Duty-free exports

Making the announcements here on Monday, after a spot inspection of the existing infrastructure facilities at Petrapole, the Union Minister of State for Commerce, Mr Jairam Ramesh, said Bangladesh, with whom India has a substantial favourable trade deficit, will be allowed to export 8 million garment pieces, duty-free to India, amounting to an f.o.b. value of nearly $80 million.

Venture to link Kolkata, Petrapole

In a major bid to strengthen road connectivity between Kolkata and Bangladesh, the West Bengal Government has planned to set up a joint venture company Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation (Tidco) with the Vision group (as a PPP model project) of Kolkata, entailing an investment of Rs 19 crore.

The project envisages linking of NH 34 with Bongaon bypass road from Chakda to Petrapole under the National Highways Development Programme-3, especially to benefit the border entry of Petrapole-bound cargo-laden trucks coming in from the North.

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Petrapole LCS to come under port authority