Shah to inaugurate new passenger terminal at Indo-Bangla border

New Delhi: The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah, will attend the ceremony to formally open the new PTB and Maitri Dwar at Land Port Petrapole in West Bengal. Petrapole is one of the most successful strides that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always envisioned —taking India’s cultural and trade links further forward with the rest of South Asia.

It is South Asia’s largest land port and is strategically located on the India-Bangladesh border for the promotion of trade as well as passenger movement between the two nations. This crossing accounts for around 70 per cent of all India-Bangladesh land-based trade, as it holds the claim of being one of the busiest border crossings in this region. Of the port credentials, this crossing ranks as the eighth largest port of India, with over 2.35 million passengers crossing the land port every year. It will alter the concept of travel from India to Bangladesh. The newly developed built-up area is about 59,800 sq metres. The whole space offers facilities that include a VIP lounge, duty-free shop, medical aid, crèche facilities for new mothers, and food and beverage options. The area was built keeping passenger safety intact while doing the job perfectly without fail through immigration, customs, and security simultaneously handling 20,000 passengers a day.