Successful Dhaka-Delhi trial run of customs-cleared cargo truck

For the first time a cargo truck from Bangladesh seamlessly drove into Delhi on Monday through the Inland Customs Depot in Patparganj on the eastern fringe of the Indian capital.

The truck of Nazrul Transport Agency and Expo Freight Pvt Ltd from Bangladesh was dispatched from Dhaka on Aug 27 as part of a trial run under the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA).

The neighbours 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 Aug 28 and entered Kolkata on the following day.

In India it travelled through the states of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, UP, Haryana and Delhi travelling more than 1850 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 system for customs free movement.

This will help establish a customer friendly process acceptable to and recognized 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 GPS tracking device was fixed on the truck so that the goods could be inspected for customs clearance at Delhi rather than at the border.

An 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 (IMTS) provided support for testing the GPS-based online live vehicle tracking by all stakeholders and agencies concerned in India and Bangladesh.

The trial run has demonstrated that time and cost can be saved through facilitation of seamless transport through the sub-region, said DHL's senior manager Deep Gupta.

Cargo trucks earlier often had to be off loaded at the border and also go through customs clearance. This led to delay 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 cargo vehicle from India was conducted in November, 2015 from Kolkata to Agartala via Dhaka.

This trial run was a success and established that with such facilitation, the distance of more than 1,550 kilometres from Kolkata to Agartala via India’s ‘Chicken’s Neck’ could be reduced to 650 kilometres if trucks travel through Bangladesh. 

The Motor Vehicle Agreement has also envisaged seamless movement of passenger vehicles.

Like in case of cargo vehicles, protocols have to be worked out for the movement of passenger vehicles too.

A trial run of passenger vehicles was also flagged off from Kolkata on Aug 30 to Khulna in Bangladesh. The operator for trial run of passenger bus was the South Bengal State Transport Corporation (SBSTC) of West Bengal.