On 12th November, 2020, India and Nepal launched the construction of 3rd Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Nepalgunj, Nepal which will bring customs and immigration facilities under one roof to smoothen cross-border movement of cargo trucks.The Portion on Indian side will be built at Rupaidiha (Uttar Pradesh).
It is being constructed at a cost of INR 147.12 Crores(Nepalese Rupee ~NRs2354).The facility will be built on about 61.5 hectares of land.
Nepalgunj & Rupaidiha:
i.The portion of ICP on Nepalese side will be built at Nepalgunj by Rajdeep Buildcon Pvt Ltd, a Pune-based company under the supervision of state-run RITES (Rail India Technical and Economic Service) Ltd. The construction period is 2 years.
ii.The Portion on Indian side will be built at Rupaidiha (Uttar Pradesh) by the Lands Ports Authority of India, works have already commenced in May, 2020 and 10 % of construction works have been completed.
Participants:
Piyush Goyal, Minister for Commerce and Industry, India and Krishna Gopal Shrestha, Nepali Minister for Urban Development, Indian Ambassador to Nepal Vinay Mohan Kwatra, Rambir Manandhar, Minister of State for Urban Development, Nepal were present during the ceremony to mark the begin the construction of ICP.
Key Points:
i.India will build ICP on both Indian and Nepal sides of the Border.
ii.The ICP will have facilities such as warehousing, refrigerated cargo facilities, medical, plant and animal quarantine areas, and amenities for drivers and passengers.
iii.It will be equipped with security features such as CCTV cameras, round the clock power backup and wastewater treatment facilities.
iv.ICP will boost connectivity, promote mutual beneficial trade and enhance people-to-people ties.
Future Plan:
Piyush Goyal also announced that India will take up the construction of a fourth ICP at Bhairahawa in Nepal under Indian funding.It should be noted that, India has ICP on the India-Nepal border at Birgunj and Biratnagar, which were operationalised in April 2018 and January 2020.
Note: –
Indian has built ICPS on the borders with neighbours such as Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Recent Related News:
i.On 18th September, 2020 Konkan Railways (operated by Konkan Railway Corporation) handed over two modern Diesel-Electric Multiple Unit (DMUC) trains to Nepal Railways for the Jaynagar-Kurta Broad Gauge Line.
About Nepal:
Prime Minister – K. P. Sharma Oli
Currency – Nepalese Rupee (NPR)
Capital – Kathmandu
