Birgunj, April 7

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi jointly inaugurated the integrated check post (ICP) in Birgunj remotely from Hyderabad House in New Delhi today.

The ICP, built in the same modality in Raxaul of India and Birgunj of Nepal, was funded by the government of India and it came into operation from today itself.

With the joint inauguration by the PMs of both the countries during the three-day state visit of Nepal’s PM Oli to India, the import and export started formally via the ICP.

Nepal Inter-model Transportation Development Board (NITDB) Executive Director Laxman Bahadur Basnet and Indian Consul General BC Pradhan jointly brought the ICP into operation in Birgunj. The ICP officials at Birgunj and Raxaul had permitted vehicles carrying goods to traverse the ICP by showing green flags.

A total of 85 petroleum tankers entered Nepal while three truckloads of shoes and doormats were sent to India via the ICP today, as per Birgunj Customs Office Chief Sebantak Pokharel.

The structure of the ICP covers a total of 116 bighas of land in Nepal and 100 bighas on the Indian side. “This ICP is bigger and has more capacity than any other ICP that is under construction,” said NITDB’s Basnet.

The officials of Nepal and India had signed a pact to construct the ICP in 2005 and the foundation stone was laid in 2011. Nepal’s foreign trade is expected to become more transparent and effective with the ICP coming into operation as more than 50 per cent of Nepal’s foreign trade takes place via the Birgunj border.

“The private sector is filled with renewed hope and optimism regarding hassle-free trade via the new ICP,” said Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Om Prakash Sharma.