The proposed integrated check post at the India-Bangladesh border in Petrapole in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, has been delayed owing to problems in land acquisition and obtaining clearances. The estimated Rs 200-crore project was, initially, scheduled for inauguration in October this year.
The integrated check post will help in faster movement of goods and cargo across borders by providing a single-window clearance. Currently, the Petrapole Land Customs Station accounts for nearly 60 per cent of the bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh. India-Bangladesh bilateral trade for 2011-12 is pegged at over $5 billion.
According to Amit Kumar Roy, Commissioner (Preventive), Customs, the check post is likely to be inaugurated before August next year.
“Although we are being assured that the integrated check post will be ready by the end of this year, work is slow-moving. The check-post will be made operational in another 12 to 15 months time,” Roy said on the sidelines of an interactive session organised by the city-based Bengal National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
According to him, delay in obtaining clearances from different agencies was one of the prime reasons for the project missing its deadline. Nearly 80 acres of land, an official said, have already been acquired.
The integrated check post or single window clearance scheme will provide customs and other clearances required by traders for export of goods. The scheme is also expected to bring down the time lag between cross-border movement of goods “substantially”.
RITES Ltd — the engineering consultancy arm of Indian Railways — is the executing agency for the project with Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI), under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, being the overseeing authority.