Exporters based in north Bengal are banking on the Mamata Banerjee government to hand over land sought by an authority that functions under the Union home ministry for development of infrastructure in six land ports located in the region.
The Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) has recently requisitioned for land parcels of different sizes from the Bengal government to augment infrastructure in these land ports, four of which open to Bangladesh and two others along Nepal and Bhutan borders.
These land ports are Changrabandha in Cooch Behar, Fulbari in Jalpaiguri, Jaigaon in Alipurduar, Mahadipur in Malda, Hilli in South Dinajpur and Panitanki in Darjeeling.
“The LPAI, which has developed a number of land ports like Petrapole, Attari and Agartala, has drawn up plans to build integrated facilities in these six other locations through which goods and passenger movement are carried out. It is the state’s turn now to hand over the land,” said Prasenjit Ghosh, secretary, Mahadipur Exporters’ Association of Malda.
Sources said that in these six locations, LPAI has sought land measuring between 35 acres and 122 acres where offices of Customs and immigration would come up, along with facilities like toilet blocks and waiting areas for passengers, luggage checking bays and spaces for offices of some agencies and associations engaged in export and import.
“In Panitanki, land has been identified. It will be handed over to the LPAI in due course based on instructions from the state government,” said a source in the Darjeeling district administration.
In all these locations, the state government is checking if there is any private land within the stretch of acres identified. “Also, the issue of compensation, that is, whether it will be paid by the state or the LPAI, has to be sorted out,” said a state government official.
Exporters said the existing infrastructure in most of these land ports is poor compared to that on the other side of the border, especially Bhutan and Nepal.
Even today, the India side often has small huts with tin roofs that serve as offices of Customs and immigration. There is no proper facility for passengers crossing the borders. In most land ports, trucks are parked on private parking spaces and traffic congestion is a regular affair.
“We believe a comprehensive development of infrastructure can help boost the scale of export through these land ports. We hope the state soon hands over the necessary land to LPAI that is ready with project plans for all these sites,” Bimal Chandra Ghosh, secretary, Changrabandha Exporters’ Association.
A transporter in Malda said it looked like the Bengal government has started focusing on border trade because recently, under chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s instructions, all parking spaces at land ports have been handed over to the state transport department.
Before this, local bodies used to run these parking lots and the state did not receive any revenue from them.
“There are indications from the state that amenities for drivers would be developed in these spaces. This shows the state is keen to improve the land ports and once a proper infrastructure comes up, the scale of trade and the movement of passengers will go up, which would eventually boost the state’s economy,” said Bhupati Mondal, a transporter whose trucks frequent Bangladesh.
