Shipping Min, KoPT conducting infra study of 4 northeast LCS

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 PTI. 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.