Cabinet nod for Bill to set up authority on border trade posts

Sources: The Hindu Business

The Union Cabinet on Thursday gave its nod to a draft ‘Land Ports Authority of India Bill (2008)’ that would be introduced in Parliament shortly. The proposed Land Port Authority of India will have the mandate to upgrade 13 ‘land customs stations’ (LCS) into ‘integrated check posts’ (ICPs), besides managing and maintaining these posts on the borders for regulation of trade and transit.

When contacted, the Minister of State for Commerce and Power, Mr Jairam Ramesh, said: “It (the proposed authority) should be set up soon and taken out of the purview of the Home Ministry and given to the Commerce Ministry..”

He said the upgradation of 13 LCS into ICPs entails an expenditure of around Rs 900 crore, spread over three years. Of these, one is to come up on the India-Pakistan border, four on the India-Nepal border, one on the India-Myanmar border and seven on the India-Bangladesh border. Additional posts on Bangladesh and Myanmar are being taken up for bilateral agreement, he said.

Phase I would cover Petrapole in West Bengal (India-Bangladesh) border, Moreh in Manipur (India-Myanmar), Raxaul in Bihar (India-Nepal) and Wagah in Punjab (India-Pakistan). The remaining nine projects — six along India-Bangladesh border at Hili, Chandrabangha (both in West Bengal), Sutarkhandi (Assam), Dawki (Meghalaya), Akaura (Tripura), Kawarpuchiah (Mizoram) and three on Nepal border at Jobgani (Bihar), Sunauli (UP) and Rupaidiha/Nepalganj (UP) would be established in phase II.

The ICPs would house all regulatory agencies such as immigration, customs and border security arrangements, with support facilities such as parking, warehousing, banking and hotels in a single complex.