The heads of diplomatic missions of India, Bangladesh and Nepal in Dhaka together visited Phulbari Land Port of India and Banglabandha Land Port of Bangladesh yesterday.
As part of developing sub-regional cooperation in crucial areas such as trade, transit, border infrastructure and connectivity they visited land ports alongside borders of Bangladesh, India, Bhutan and Nepal including Burimari-Chengrabandha (Bangladesh-Indian), Phuentsholing-Jaigaon (Bhutan-India), Kakarvita-Panitanki (Nepal-India) and Phulbari-Banglabandha (Indian-Bangladesh).
After visiting Banglabandha Land Port High Commissioner of India Pankaj Saran told the reporters that the Indian government had already decided to open the immigration service for people through the port.
The infrastructure development work is on at Phulbari Port in Indian. After completion of work, the immigration facilities will commence within few months. Hopefully it will take 15 to 18 months to open the immigration facilities, he said.
The ports will facilitate communication between Nepal, Bhutan, Indian and Bangladesh with potential for tourism, business, and trade.
Earlier Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Salahuddin, Superintendent of Police Abul Kalam Azad and acting Commanding Officer of 18, BGB Battalion in Panchagarh Maj ATM Nazmul Huda received the envoys at the zero point of the land port.
Indian High Commissioner Pankaj Saran, Bhutanese Ambassador Prema Choden and Nepalese Ambassador Hari Kumar Shrestha visited customs stations of Burimari-Chengrabandha (Bangladesh-Indian), Phuentsholing-Jaigaon (Bhutan-India), Kakarvita-Panitanki (Nepal-India) and Phulbari-Banglabandha (Indian-Bangladesh).
The delegation scrutinised the existing facilities and infrastructure of the land ports and held meetings with the officials the land port concerned.
During the visit the team also held meetings with the leaders of Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Panchagarh, Shiliguri, Phuentsholing and Kakarvita.
The visits were aimed at exploring the prevailing tremendous potentials in the fields of regional trade, commerce, business, tourism and other sectors through these lands ports between Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Bhutan.
After the visit to Banglabandha Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pankaj Saran said the Indian visa system will be eased further for the Bangladeshis to avoid the hurdles being faced now due to some technical problems.
“The process of launching an Indian Visa Centre at Rangpur was progressing fast.”
He also said the diplomatic delegation visited the land ports over the past three days to identify the prevailing facilities and problems in those land ports to place them before their respective governments.
Pankaj Saran hoped that the immigration process would begin soon through Banglabandha Land Port (BLP) under Tetulia upazila in Panchagarh district.
“The Indian government has started construction of necessary infrastructural facilities for immigration at Fulabri Land Port inside India opposite Banglabandha Land Port,” he said.
“There are huge potentials for international trade and commerce through Banglabandha land port,” he said adding that all these four neighbouring nations would be benefited if the potentials could be utilised.
Answering to another question, Pankaj saran said the governments of both India and Bangladesh were working together and sharing necessary information to carry out an investigation into the recent Bardhaman bomb blast incident.
