India, Bangladesh discuss land port issues; commit better border facilities

India and Bangladesh on Tuesday decided to enhance cooperation in building infrastructure and operational efficiency at the various land ports and check-posts located along the 4,096-km long shared international border.

The commitment was made during the 6th Subgroup meeting of the Land Port Authority of India (LPAI) with the Bangladesh Land Port Authority (BLPA) here. The LPAI functions under the Union home ministry.

The bilateral meeting aims to strengthen ties and discuss issues related to cross-border infrastructure, connectivity and facilitation of trade between the two nations.

The Indian delegation was led by LPAI Member (Planning and Development) Sanjeev Gupta with officials drawn from the border management division of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Border Security Force (BSF), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and Customs, among others.

The Bangladeshi side was led by BLPA Joint Secretary and Member (Development) Tahmina Yeasmin along with officials from the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and ministries of industries and shipping, among others.

"Building on the discussions held at the last subgroup meeting in Dhaka in November 2023, the meeting reviewed the progress made on the previous initiatives and identified new areas for cooperation to enhance infrastructure and operational efficiency at the land ports," an official statement said.

The major agenda items discussed included developing port facilities at Gede (Darshna in West Bengal) and Bholaganj (Meghalaya), expediting clearance of Bangladesh's export cargo at Petrapole (West Bengal) and Agartala, prioritising the development of land ports and integrated check-posts (ICPs), and considering a common cargo gate at Bhomra (Ghojadanga in West Bengal), the statement said.

The meeting also discussed facilitating the movement of Bangladeshi trucks carrying exports to Nepal and Bhutan through Burimari and Banglabandha ports in that country, operationalising the land port at Sabroom (Tripura), developing the Tegamukh (Bangladesh)-Kawrpuichhuah (Mizoram) port, and establishing certain ports operational 24x7, it added.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to "deepen" India-Bangladesh relations, enhance bilateral trade, and advance shared goals for regional connectivity and economic growth through "collaborative" border management, the statement said.