Infrastructure Trade & Investment

Infrastructure

Land Customs Stations/ Land Ports

For facilitating trade between India and Bangladesh, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government of India has notified 50 Land Customs Stations (LCS) as on 4 June 2010 [Notification No. 45/2010 – Customs (N.T.)].

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) of Bangladesh has notified 181 Land Customs Stations. However, only 27 of these are considered to be practicable.

Important Land Custom Stations are being designated as Land ports to improve facilities.

In Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Land Port Authority (BLPA) was set under the aegis of Ministry of Shipping in 2001, to facilitate cross-border trade. Bangladesh Land Port Authority has the mandate to provide cargo handling and storage facilities to facilitate collection of customs revenues, on the imports at the Land Ports.

In India, the Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) was set up in 2010 to function as an autonomous agency under the Department of Border Management, Ministry of Home Affairs to provide better administration and cohesive management of cross-border movement of people and goods. One of the primary functions of the LPAI is to oversee and regulate the construction, management and maintenance of the Integrated Check Posts.

51 Land Customs Stations of India with corresponding Land Customs Stations in Bangladesh and commodities allowed for trade Click here

For location of major LCS on India-Bangladesh border Click here  

For Land Customs Stations of India and Bangladesh where working hours and Working days are synchronized Click here  

Integrated Check Posts

Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) are being set up at major entry points on the land borders by Government of India, to overcome the existing problems of inadequate infrastructure and lack of support facilities and to cater to growing demand of traders on both sides of the border.

The ICPs would house all regulatory agencies like Immigration, Customs, border security, etc. They would be a sanitized zone with dedicated passenger and cargo terminal providing adequate customs and immigration counters, X-ray scanners, passenger amenities and other related facilities like parking, warehousing, banking, service stations, fuel stations, etc. in a single modern complex equipped with state of the art amenities.

Seven Integrated Check Posts are planned in two phases:

Phase –I:

  • Petrapole in West Bengal (corresponding to Benapole in Bangladesh), 
  • Dawki in Meghalaya (corresponding to Tamabil in Bangladesh) and
  • Agartala in Tripura (corresponding to Akhaura in Bangladesh).

Phase –II

  • Hili, West Bengal (corresponding to Hili in Bangladesh),
  • Chandrabangha, West Bengal (corresponding to Burimari in Bangladesh),
  • Sutarkhandi Assam (corresponding to Sheola in Bangladesh) and
  • Kawarpuchiah, Mizoram (corresponding to Thegamukh in Bangladesh).

Border Haats

To restore the traditional system of marketing the local produce through local markets, India and Bangladesh decided during the visit of Prime Minister of Bangladesh to India in January 2010, to establish border haats on a pilot basis at selected areas along the border. In October 2010, an MoU on Border Haats was signed between the two countries. To view the text please click MoU on Border Haats   and Addendum to Mode of Operations of Border Haats  .

Two Border Haats have been set up in:

  • Kalaichar (Meghalaya, India) – Baliamari (Kurigram, Bangladesh) and
  • Dolora (Sunamganj, Bangladesh) – Balat (Meghalaya, India).

The Border Haat at Srinagar along the Tripura Border was inaugurated on 17 January 2015. Three more Border Haats are proposed to be set up along the Tripura-Bangladesh border at Kamlasagar, Palbasti and Kamalpur in Tripura.

Commodities permitted to be traded in the border haats are:

  1. Vegetables, food items, fruits, spices;
  2. minor forest produce e.g. bamboo, bamboo grass, and broom stick but excluding  timber;
  3. products of  cottage industries like Gamcha, Lungi etc.;
  4. small agriculture household implements e.g., dao, plough, axe, spade, chisel etc.;
  5. garments, melamine products, processed food items, fruit juice,  toiletries, cosmetics, plastic products, aluminium products, cookeries.

Each individual is allowed to purchase only as much of the commodities produced in Bangladesh/India which are reasonable for bona-fide personal/family consumption. The commodities are allowed to be exchanged in the border haats in local currency and/or barter basis. The estimated value of such purchases cannot be more than respective local currency equivalent of US$ 100 for any particular day. The commodities sold in the border haats are exempted from payment of customs duties.

A study on the two working border hats was conducted by the Bangladesh Enterprises Institute. For full report click here