Land ports are a vital infrastructure

We cannot but express our concern over the wretched condition of Bangladesh's land ports with India and Myanmar as called to attention at a seminar on land port development last Sunday. Of the 22 checkpoints, only 10 are operational, of which Benapole alone handles 80 percent of Bangladesh's cross-border trade with India. As a result, the infrastructure bears the burden of heavy traffic, resulting in perishable goods being laid to waste. To make matters unpropitious for cross-border trade, the land port does not have any BSTI outfit, making it difficult for exporters to quickly secure clearance for their products. 

The situation is worse in other land ports. It is not understandable how we can expect trade with our neighbours to grow and local businesses to flourish while most of the land ports do not have any office room for government officials, neither do they have any proper warehouse. It is regrettable that we have only one land port at our border with Myanmar, a country that, according to experts, is brimming with business potential. Opening up new land ports with Myanmar will help local industries to flourish.  

The government should take immediate steps to improve infrastructural facilities at the land ports along our border with Myanmar and India's north eastern states where the potential for growth in trade is huge and remains largely unrealised.