India urges full-scale use of Chattogram, Mongla ports

India has requested Bangladesh to take steps for starting full-scale use of Bangladesh’s Chattogram and Mongla seaports as early as possible for regular transhipment operation as the neighbouring country has already completed necessary trial runs.

Recently, Indian High Commission, Dhaka sent a note verbale to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take required steps for the issuance of necessary official SRO regarding the issue.

The note has conveyed that all four trial runs on the designated routes have already been completed, which were required for operationalisation of Agreement on the use of Chattogram and Mongla Ports (ACMP).

The Indian side has requested for early operationalisation of the agreement by issuance of a permanent SRO/customs notification for the regular transhipment operation.

India has already completed four trial runs on different approved routes — Mongla-Tamabil-Dawki, Mongla-Bibibazar-Srimantapur, Chattogram-Sheola-Sutarkandi and Dawki-Tamabil-Chattogram between the two countries.

The request was made following the agreed minutes of the 13th meeting of the Joint Group of Customs (JGC) held in Dhaka on March 23-24, 2022 and para 18 of the India-Bangladesh Joint Statement issued during the visit of the Bangladesh Prime Minister to India in September, 2022 regarding operationalisation of the ACMP.

In October 2018, Bangladesh and India signed “ACMO” for movement of goods to and from India mainly to provide transhipment facility to India to carry goods to its north-eastern states.

The transhipment arrangement will facilitate the movement of heavier cargos at a lower cost.

In July 2020, the first trial run under the agreement was carried out with four containers loaded with iron rods and pulses transported from Haldia port in Kolkata to the Chittagong seaport.

India is now showing keenness to start regular use of Chittagong and Mongla ports soon as it has already completed necessary trial runs, a source said.

The neighbouring country is keen for regular transit as its vehicles need to travel over 1,650 kilometres for transporting goods from Kolkata to Agartala through Guwahati.

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has already finalised the required standard operating procedure (SOP), the source added.

It is expected that the move will help increase trade volume to the northeast on inland waterways via the India-Bangladesh Protocol route and help reduce the cost of freight.

Earlier, the NBR had finalised the required standard operating procedure (SOP) regarding the issue, the source said further.

As per the deal, traders of India will have to pay transhipment fee of Tk20 per tonne, security charge of Tk 100 per tonne, document-processing fee of Tk 30 (per chalan), escort charge of Tk50 (per tonne), miscellaneous administrative charge of Tk 100 (per tonne), container-scanning fee of Tk 254 (per container), and electric lock-and-seal fee as per rules.

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