India, Nepal begins construction of Integrated Check Post to smoothen regional connectivity

Piyush Goyal, Minister for Commerce and Industry and Krishna Gopal Shrestha, Nepali Minister for Urban Development on Thursday jointly witnessed the ground-breaking ceremony to mark beginning of the construction of Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Nepalgunj.

Representative Image

Indian Ambassador to Nepal Vinay Mohan Kwatra, Rambir Manandhar, Minister of State for Urban Development also witnessed the event along with Dr Ramesh Prasad Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development from Kathmandu.

India is building Integrated Check Posts on either sides of Indo-Nepal border to systematize the movement of cross-border cargo trucks between the two countries by bringing customs and immigration facilities under one roof. ICPs at Birgunj and Biratnagar were jointly inaugurated and operationalized in April 2018 and January 2020 respectively by Prime Ministers of India and Nepal.

ICP at Nepalgunj, once completed, will have export & import cargo handling facilities such as warehousing, including refrigerated cargo facilities, medical, plant and animal quarantine areas, amenities for drivers and passenger, CCTV and other security systems, 24/7 power backup, waste-water treatment facilities, etc. to facilitate smooth movement of cargo and passenger vehicles. The facility is envisaged to promote systematic approach to cargo handling and, therefore, will result in saving of time and inconvenience to visitors and reduce overall transaction costs for cross-border trade and commerce.

The project will be implemented by M/s Rajdeep Buildcon Pvt. Ltd, a Pune based Indian company under the supervision of M/s RITES International Ltd. a Government of India undertaking. The tendered cost of the project is INR 147.12 cr (NRs 2354 million) and construction period is two years.

The facility will be built on about 61.5 hectare land identified by Government of Nepal in Janaki Rural Municipality ward no-1 and ward no-16 of Nepalgunj Sub-metropolitan city. Similar facility is being built on the Indian side in Rupaidiha by Lands Ports Authority of India and the work on the facility started in May this year and over 10% construction work has been completed. The Department of Urban Development, under the Ministry of Urban Development of Nepal, will facilitate construction of ICP at Nepalgunj on the ground.

During the construction period, the ICP Nepalgunj project is expected to create local employment and boost local economy by way of direct and indirect job creation and also supply of essential raw material and items from local markets. Overall the facility created under the project is envisaged to promote cross-border trade and economic activities between India and Nepal.

In line with ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, India is committed to enhance connectivity with Nepal, including facilitating and promoting border trade and economic activities. In this context, Commerce & Industry Minister, Shri Piyush Goyal announced that the Government of India will take up the construction of a fourth ICP at Bhairahawa in Nepal under Indian funding. Presently, the execution modalities and implementing agency for the project are under consideration.

The creation of advanced cross-border logistics and infrastructure facilities over the last three years is expected to further boost connectivity and help realize the shared pursuit of stronger and mutually beneficial trade, economic and people-to-people trade ties between India and Nepal.

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