The Hindu Business Line : Customs stations for a revamp

The North-East has only 2 per cent of its border with India and the balance 98 per cent with four countries, China, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Bhutan. There are 32 land Customs stations in the region, but only about 20 of them are functioning. The authorities concerned are keen on making the balance 12 functional, but have not met with much success.

The major bottleneck is the lack of infrastructure. Even some of the functional outfits (Borsora, for example) suffer from inadequate supply of power and water and the lack of proper roads.

The Central Government has been looking to convert six of the functional land Customs stations into integrated check-posts with one-window facility, but has not made headway so far. At Dawki, for example, the problem over the acquisition of land has stalled the government effort. There is now a court case pending. The problem at Moreh is even worse. The 350-km-long road between Dimapur and Moreh is virtually controlled by at least half a dozen insurgency groups. The border check-post at Pangsu Pass in Arunachal Pradesh was set up as early as 1948 but closed in 1962 following border dispute with China. There is a now a move to reopen it. A move is also afoot to reopen the 1726-km-long Stillwell Road linking Kunming (China) in one direction and Myanmar on the other, to boost trade by road with these countries.

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