The Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) is planning to establish seven additional integrated land ports along West Bengal’s border with Bangladesh over the next five to six years, with the majority concentrated in the strategically vital Siliguri Corridor. LPAI chairman Jayant Singh disclosed the plan during a visit to Kolkata last week.
Current and proposed ports
Bengal currently has only one integrated land port, at Petrapole. The new facilities are planned at Ghojadanga, Madhavpara, Hili, Birpara, Jalgao, Panitanki and Chamurchi. Five of the seven are located in the Siliguri Corridor, a narrow stretch of land connecting India’s northeast to the rest of the country.
Singh said the Ghojadanga port in North 24 Parganas would be the first to come up, and that he would approach Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari for its inauguration.
Land and infrastructure
Each land port requires around 50 acres. Singh said land has already been secured in some locations. The facilities will include customs, immigration bureau, parking, food courts, shopping centres and Border Security Force (BSF) infrastructure.
Trade impact
Singh expressed optimism that once the new ports are fully operational, India-Bangladesh bilateral trade via the land route could rise to ten times current levels. Currently, India has 15 integrated land ports, of which Bengal has one. Singh said the national plan envisions over 80 such ports by 2047.
