Shipping Ministry, KoPT conducting infra study of 4 northeast LCS

AGARTALA: A joint team of the Ministry of Shipping and Kolkata Port Trust has undertaken a study of the infrastructure of four Land Customs Stations (LCS) of the north eastern region for transportation of goods from Chittagong and Mongla ports in Bangladesh, officials said on Friday.

The team visited Agartala Integrated Check Post (ICP) bordering Brahmanbaria district of Bangladesh on Wednesday, and Srimantapur Integrated Check Post in Sipahijala district bordering Comilla district of the neighbouring country, about 60 km from here, on Thursday.

Kolkata Port Trust Chairman Vinit Kumar had met Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb here on Wednesday during which Deb had discussed fast implementation of a protocol route between India and Bangladesh.

Assistant Director of the Kolkata Port Trust Prashant Kumar said that India was allowed access to Chittagong and Mongla ports in Bangladesh following a MOU signed between the two countries for standard operating procedures for use of the ports on October 6 last in Delhi.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina.

“From the two ports, goods would be transported to the four land ports of the northeastern region by using land routes of Bangladesh. This would save time and expenditure. If everything is in its right place, operations would begin within two months,” Prashant Kumar told .

He said, goods would enter from the neighbouring country to four land ports Agartala and Srimantapur in Tripura, Dawki in Meghalaya, and Sutarkandi in Assam.