Golf carts, restaurants, shopping plazas… now airport like facilities on India-Bangladesh border

New Delhi: Petrapole, South Asia’s largest land port on the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal, will now feel like an airport for people and tourists traveling from both the countries. Where there will also be facilities like duty free shop, golf cart, restaurant, shopping plaza and lounge. For this, the Land Port Authority of India (LPAI) has prepared a new passenger building at Petrapole and Maitri Dwar, a joint cargo gate built between the two countries on the Zero Line. Which was inaugurated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday. Home Minister Amit Shah described this new passenger building and Maitri Dwar built on Petrapole as important for both the countries. Regarding these facilities, LPAI officials said that about 10 thousand people move through Petrapole every day. Most of them come to India from Bangladesh for their treatment. Whereas around 700 trucks move through the cargo gate every day. Despite being the largest Petrapole in South Asia, it lacked many basic facilities. Which have now been completed by building a new passenger building and Maitri Gate.

New passenger building like airport

The new passenger building has been designed exactly like the airport. Like the airport, a duty free shop zone has also been created in this building constructed in 59 thousand square meters. Earlier, the immigration officers used to sit outside on the border near the gate on a chair. Who used to openly check the documents of those coming from Bangladesh to India and those going from India to Bangladesh. In such a situation, there used to be long lines of people. There were neither any proper chairs and benches for people to sit nor any proper means to protect themselves from rain and other weather.

Capacity for movement of 25 thousand people

But now the new building has been designed like an airport building. It has the capacity to move 25 thousand people every day. 20 immigration counters have been set up here. Apart from this, restaurant, lounge, rest room, waiting hall, medical facility, ambulance, child care room, drinking water, VIP lounge, lift, escalator and shopping zone have been prepared in the terminal for the people to eat and drink. Similarly, number plate readers, facial recognition cameras, boom barriers and most importantly, systems for checking radioactive substances have been installed at the Maitri Gate for truck movement. Apart from this, many other security systems have been installed here. On this occasion, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan and LPAI Chairman Aditya Mishra and other officials were present.

India-Bangladesh trade will get a new direction

About 70 percent of the trade between India (Petrapole) and Bangladesh (Bonapole) happens through this land port. Which is one of the most important land border crossings. There was a need for basic facilities here for years. It is an important gateway for trade and commerce between India and Bangladesh. This will provide a new momentum, direction and dimension to further advance the cultural and trade relations between the two countries. Petropal is also India’s 8th largest international immigration port. About 25 lakh passengers travel through this route every year. Like the facilities provided here, now similar facilities will be provided at other land ports of the country also.