With private players wary of participating in projects along the border, the Government intends to go ahead on its own for the ambitious Integrated Check Posts (ICP) along the country’s border entry points.

The original plan was the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) route for 17 ICPs.

“Private players seem to be apprehensive about working along the border. This would have been a first for them,” an official admitted, saying the response had forced a change in approach.

First off the block will be the ICPs at Wagah (Punjab) on the Indo-Pak border, Raxaul (Bihar) on the Indo-Nepal border and Petrapole (West Bengal) on the Indo-Bangladesh border. The estimated cost of these ICPs is about Rs 100 crore each.

A fourth ICP proposed at Moreh in Manipur on the Indo-Myanmar border might just have to wait since it is not considered too crucial at the moment from the commerce point of view, official sources said. All four are part of the first phase of the project. India has already opened the Wagah border for truck services between India and Pakistan.

Nine other ICPs are planned, three more along the Nepal border at Jogbani (Bihar), Nepalganj and Sonauli (Uttar Pradesh), six more along the Bangladesh border at Sutarakhandi (Assam), Dawki (Meghalaya), Chandrabhaga and Hili (West Bengal), Akhaura (Tripura) and Kawarpuchiah (Mizoram).

The posts will have modern customs, immigration and screening facilities. The ICPs will also offer warehousing, parking, hotels, banking and other support services. “The idea is to upgrade existing border entry points and turn them into modern routes with speedy clearance of cargo to attract trade,” an official said. With a South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) already in place, the Union Commerce Ministry has been pushing for steps to boost land trade within the region.

... contd.