Birgunj, May 2

Well before the Nepal-India integrated check post comes into use, stakeholders have raised questions over the infrastructure built for the under-construction facility at Alau in Birgunj.

Most of them have expressed concerns about the cramped godown for imported consignments and pointed to the possible difficulty of running the facility due to the lack of enough infrastructures.

“The godown has just 735 square-metre capacity, so it won’t be enough to accommodate the consignments that will be brought via the customs,” said Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vice-chairperson Prakash Sharma, adding that the godown facility should be spacious enough at least to accommodate up to 1,500 vehicles on a daily basis.

Meanwhile, though work is said to be progressing on a war footing to complete the facility in a few weeks, a team from the Birgunj customs visited the site and reported sluggish work in progress.

“Though it is said the facility will come into use from May itself, no infrastructure to this effect has been developed inside Nepalese territory,” said customs Chief Sewantak Pokharel, who estimated that completion of the facility might take at least a year from now.

Projected to be completed in two years’ time, construction of the facility started from 2011. However, four years after works started, the project is yet to be complete.

The facility being built on the border has a godown of 735 square metres capacity.

Once the construction of the facility is over, all the export-import being held now through Birgunj customs will be done through the ICP itself.