Work for land port in Rangamati starts

Locals eye boost in trade with India

Site for the proposed Land Customs Station near Thegamukh border outpost in Borohornia union under Barkal upazila of Rangamati district.Photo: STARShantimoy Chakma, Rangamati

Land acquisition to set up land customs station (LCS) at Thegamukh under Barkal upazila is underway, opening up a new horizon in cross-border trade between Bangladesh and India.
Huge amount of government revenue will be earned by exporting medicines, cloths, ceramics items, melamine, chips, dried fishes, leather bags to India whereas timber, bamboo, cotton, sesame, turmeric, ginger and cattle could be imported from India through this port, said Santosh Kumar Chakma, chairman of Barkal upazila.
New sources of income will also be created as many indigenous people could be engaged in business or loading and unloading works, he added.
"We are facing serious crisis of raw materials. If the port is built, we will get cheap raw materials from India," said Jaharul Haque, managing director of Karnaphuli Paper Mills (KPM).
Meanwhile, sites on the both sides were selected near Thegamukh border outpost (BOP) for the proposed port. The two friendly neighbours will share one km each for the port, said Col Md Bashirul Islam, sector commander, Rangamati sector headquarters of BDR.
People of Thegamukh frontier, 125 kilometre away from the district headquarters, have been living in peace since the BOP was set up in 1949 as tension between Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and Indian Border Security Force (BSF) had never arose there, Bashirul added.
At present, water route is the only way of communication for the proposed port. Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) is, however, planning to construct a 60-kilometre road from Barkal upazila headquarters to Thega via Chhotohorina.
If the road is built, it will create easy road communication either for BDR as well as for the common people, rangamati LGED office sources said.
The government has already appointed five clearing and forwarding agents for loading and unloading goods at the port.
Atoching Marma, a karbari (village chief) of Thegamukh village, said they cannot export some highly demanded items to India. If the proposed port is built, it will connect some towns like Loonglai, Demaggree, Tobolabug and Ichol of India with Bangladesh.
"As far as I know file work is being progressed for setting up land port at Thegamukh," said home secretary while visiting Thegamukh BOP in Rangamati along with home minister on September 30.

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courtesy: dailystar.net