First trial run of cargo vehicles between India and Bangladesh successful

History was written at the Inland Customs Depot in Patparganj in East  Delhi yesterday when, for the first time, a cargo truck  from Bangladesh drove in with a Delhi-bound consignment, having seamlessly crossed customs-free borders.

The truck belonging to Nazrul Transport Agency and Expo Freight from Bangladesh was despatched from Dhaka on August 27, 2016, as part of a trial run under the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA). The four countries had signed an agreement on June 15, 2015 in Thimphu, Bhutan to facilitate cross-border movement of both passenger and cargo vehicles in the sub-region. Protocols to implement the agreement are being negotiated by the four countries for passenger and cargo vehicles separately. 

The trial run was organised to help develop the protocols for implementing the agreement. The cargo vehicle started its journey from Dhaka and reached Petrapole on August 28 and Kolkata on August 29. In India, it travelled through the states of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi travelling more than 1,850 kilometres to reach the Customs Depot at Patparganj in New Delhi.

The truck was issued an e-permit for the trial run through an online web-based system. This will help establish a customer-friendly process acceptable to and recognised by all BBIN countries. The consignment did not have to undergo any customs clearance at the border. Instead, when it reached the first Indian customs station at border point Petrapole, an electronic seal with a GPS tracking device was fixed on the truck so that the goods could be inspected for custom clearance at Delhi rather than at the border. An electronic online vehicle tracking system was also installed in the truck that facilitated real- time monitoring of its progress. The truck was thus allowed to pass through without delay or causing congestion. The Integrated Multi-modal Transit System Ltd (DIMTS) provided support for testing the GPS-based online/live vehicle tracking by all the stakeholders and agencies concerned in India and Bangladesh.

Slashing time and cost

The trial run has demonstrated that time and cost can be saved through facilitation of seamless transport through the sub-region. Cargo trucks earlier often had to be offloaded at the border and also undergo customs clearance. This led to delays and often also caused damage to the goods. The steps being taken to facilitate seamless movement of cargo vehicles will give a major boost to trade and business in the sub-region. 

A similar trial run of a cargo vehicle from India was conducted in November 2015 from Kolkata to Agartala via Dhaka. This trial run was successful and proved that the distance of over 1,550km from Kolkata to Agartala via India’s Chicken’s Neck will be reduced to 650km if a truck travels through Bangladesh, resulting in reduction in overall transaction costs. 

The BBIN agreement also envisages seamless movement of passenger vehicles which, like cargo vehicles, need protocols to be worked out. A trial run of passenger vehicles was also flagged off from Kolkata in India on August 30 to Khulna in Bangladesh, operated by the South Bengal State Transport Corporation (SBSTC), government of West Bengal.