Bangladesh and India have identified 16 Land Customs Stations (LCS) of high importance to facilitate bilateral trade and decided to synchronise them to provide improved trade facilitation services and prevent revenue leakage.
Out of the total 24 functional LCSs, 16 would be improved with synchronised working hours and days, and extension of the Car Pass system to allow movement of trucks up to the LCS of the importing country for uploading cargo, a joint meeting of the customs officials of both countries decided in Dhaka yesterday.
The decision emerged from the two-day meeting of the customs officials of Bangladesh and India that concluded yesterday. It was the ninth round of Joint Group of Customs (JGC) within the bilateral framework after the last one held in April last year in New Delhi.
Tamabil, Benapole, Burimari, Akhaura, Hilli, Banglabandha and other 10 LCSs will be considered as the model stations.
National Board of Revenue Chairman Ghulam Hussain and Indian revenue secretary Sumit Bose led their respective sides at the meeting.
Aimed at trade facilitation and combating evasion of duties and taxes, the meeting decided to improve infrastructure and customs procedure at the LCSs, improve institutional linkages between the customs administration at operational and policy levels and exchange of information for effective application of customs laws to facilitate trade and protect revenue.
To accomplish the task, the meeting decided the customs officials of two countries will travel to each other’s LCSs to exchange information and discuss improving coordination and resolving operational issues.
“Local problems must be solved at the local level, thus we have decided free movement of customs officials to solve the issues at the LCS area where the problem occurs,” NBR Chairman Ghulam Hussain said.
“There will be focal officials to deal with each and every stations and thus, nominations for this officials will be completed within November 30 and it will come into operation from December 1.”
The other decisions includes keeping two customs stations of both side remain open for seven days. From the Indian side, Agartala and Petrapole and from Bangladesh side, Benapole and Akhaura will remain open for seven days effective from January 1 next year.
Bangladesh also requested India to allow testing certificates provided by the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institute (BSTI), to increase its export to India.
“Since India does not allow testing certificates from BSTI for a number of goods, it took days, weeks, sometimes a month to test the product at Indian zone and results in slow trade. We have thus requested India to accept our testing reports,” said the NBR chairman. “Development at stations will be done wherever possible from both Bangladesh and Indian side.”
He said delay in truck unloading at Indian side creates hassles for the exporters and infrastructure is responsible for such delays. “To minimise the slow traffic and delay, problems will be sorted out soon and infrastructure will be developed in this regard.”
The Integrated Check Posts (ICP) at Akhaura-Agartala border will be operationalised from November 2013, while ICP’s at Benapole-Petrapole and Tamabil-Dawki borders are expected to be operationalised from 2014 and 2015 respectively.
The meeting also took decision to work towards facilitating travel by Maitree Express.
To stop smuggling, along with law enforcing agencies, automation has taken place in Bangladesh, and Bangladesh requested India to be automated as well, the chairman said.
The next JGC meeting is scheduled to be held in Delhi next year.
