Expert team in Moreh to boost border trade

Subhaschandra M
Mizzima News: 07 December, 2006

The setting up of an 'Integrated Composite Check post' in Moreh border town, at a cost of Rs.16.74 crore is now under the scanner by a three-member team of top level Indian experts. The team which arrived in Manipur from New Delhi comprises an economist, an infrastructure specialist and a planner.

The experts are Additional General Manager, Deputy General Manager and Manager of RITES, consultants of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs based in New Delhi. The team on arrival headed for the border to "access the situation", along with senior state officials.

"The step is being taken to improve ongoing border trade with Myanmar (Burma) as well as to strengthen relations between the two neighbouring countries," said the economist in an interaction with Mizzima.

According to Indian officials based in Manipur, the integrated composite check-post is to be developed on the lines of the Wagah on the Indo-Pakistan international border.

Once the integrated composite check post in Moreh is completed –all agencies relating to the ongoing trade between India and Burma can operate under one roof with an integrated approach, said L. Dwijamani, an officer on special duty of the Manipur Government.

Immigration, local police, land customs, forest, narcotics and drugs, postal, bank, telecom, food testing, laboratory, animal and plant quarantines, trade counters, staff quarters and even truck parking among other facilities will be available as separate units at the check-post.

"We are here to asses the potential of ongoing Indo-Myanmar border trade" the senior economist who did not want to be named said.

All the experts have been invited to visit the border state to survey the 50 acres of land acquired in Moreh for the construction of the Rs.16.74 crore check-post following the constitution of a joint study group headed by Jarnail Singh, the chief secretary of Manipur on December 1 this year.

This is one of the follow up steps being taken by the Indian authorities to arrest the declining trend of the 11-year old Indo-Burma border trade following the visit of Union Commerce Minister Mr. Jairam Ramesh in the last week of September.