Centre clears setting up of land customs stations for trade with B'desh, Bhutan

The Centre has cleared the proposal to have business with Bangladesh from Raigunj in North Dinajpur by rail.

Also, clearance to set up a land customs station at Luksan near Nagrakata to do business with Bhutan has also arrived. Senior officials of the district administration said trains carrying freight will reach Bangladesh from Raigunj via Radhikapur to Biral station in Bangladesh.

A notice in this regard has been issued by the Customs and Excise Commissioner. So long, business with Bangladesh from North Bengal was carried out via Hilli, Changrabandha and Fulbari. The new route will help to ease business with Bangladesh.

Biswajit Das, general secretary of the traders' body in a statement welcomed the move by the Centre and maintained that this would ease to do business with Bangladesh. He said setting of a land customs at Luksan would help businessmen and traders to do business with Bhutan. So long, business used to be carried out with Bhutan through Jaigaon. Das demanded that more areas should be opened to do business with Bangladesh and Bhutan.

Shankar Kundu, chairman Chambers of Commerce said train services on meter gauge line on this route was being carried out for many years. Now, broad gauge train service would improve business. He said, if immigration was allowed in this route then that would help to improve the financial health of the area.

It may be recalled that steps have already been taken by the state government to set up another gate at Jaigaon and a comprehensive planning is being done by the state Urban Development department. The construction of the international expressway will improve business opportunity of the area and the state government proposes to set up a financial hub off the highway. A township will also come at Jaigaon and experts said improvement of infrastructure will lead to financial development of the vast areas surrounding Jaigaon.