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In an effort to boost bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh through the land route, the Ministry of Commerce plans to set up an integrated check-post at Petrapole in North 24 Parganas.
The integrated check-post will help faster movement of goods and cargo across borders by providing a single window clearance.
Single window clearance
The single window clearance scheme, estimated to come up at a cost of nearly Rs 200 crore, will provide among others Customs and other clearances required by traders for export of goods. The integrated check-post scheme is expected to bring down the time lag between cross-border movement of goods “substantially”.
RITES Ltd has already floated the tender for the project. The project is expected to come up in two years, a senior Customs Department official told Business Line .
“Land and money allotment for the project has been done. We are finalising the tender for the project,” Mr BVT Prasad Naik, Additional Commissioner, Customs (Preventive), said while addressing exporters at an interactive session in Petrapole on Saturday.
Car pass system
The Customs Department has also decided to introduce a system of car pass — for heavy goods vehicles only — that will ensure faster delivery of goods across the border. The system will also provide for better security and safety of Indian truck drivers who enter Bangladesh through Petrapole. It will also reduce instances of under-valuation of export items as it requires the simultaneous clearance and acceptance of authorities on either side of the border.
The car pass issuance will also reduce shipment time by nearly 50 per cent while guaranteeing “proper delivery” of goods.
Currently, the Petrapole Land Customs Station in West Bengal accounts for nearly 60 per cent of the bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh. Indian exports to Bangladesh through Petrapole were Rs 6,628 crore in 201 0-11 and is estimated to reach Rs 8,086 crore this fiscal.
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