Kathmandu, December 22

The long-planned Integrated Check Post (ICP) in Birgunj will finally come into operation from next month as more than 95 per cent of the construction works of the ICP have already been completed, as per government officials.

The ICP in Birgunj is being constructed under the Indian government’s assistance to facilitate Nepal-India trade. Though the process of setting up ICP in both Nepal and on the Indian side in the Birgunj border started in April of 2011, the project has missed the deadline several times basically due to delayed construction process of ICP on Nepal’s side. Though the construction of the ICP on the Indian side was completed about a year back, its operation has been postponed as the ICP in Birgunj is yet to be completed.

Now, with construction works of the ICP on Nepal side almost complete, officials at the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) said that ICP on both Nepal and Indian sides at the Birgunj border will start operation in less than a month.

“Construction works of the ICP on Nepal side have almost been completed. We are in a position to operationalise the ICP within less than one month,” said Ravi Shankar Saiju, spokesperson for MoC.

According to Saiju, all works in Birgunj ICP, except installing internet services and upgrading electricity lines, have been accomplished. “Work on both these aspects are ongoing and will be completed within a few days,” he said.

Nepal and India had signed an agreement in 2005 for the construction of ICPs in different border points, including Birgunj (Nepal)-Raxaul (India), Biratnagar (Nepal)-Jogbani (India), Bhairahawa (Nepal)-Sunauli (India) and Nepalgunj (Nepal)-Nepalgunj Road (India). Under this agreement, Nepal is supposed to provide the required land

for the ICP while the Indian government will bear the remaining cost incurred to construct the ICP.

The ICP will basically house customs office, quarantine facility, banks and immigration facilities, among others in one place to facilitate the country’s foreign trade.

India had granted assistance for ICPs to Nepal considering Nepal’s dependency on India for import and export of goods, which is about two-third of the country’s total trade. Meanwhile, Saiju informed the construction of ICP in Biratnagar has also been expedited and will come into operation soon.