India, Bangladesh Customs officials discuss opening of new land customs stations, easing port restrictions

Customs officials of India and Bangladesh have discussed a host of bilateral issues such as opening of new land customs stations

New Delhi: Customs officials of India and Bangladesh have discussed a host of bilateral issues such as opening of new land customs stations, easing port restrictions, development of road and rail infrastructure and pre-arrival exchange of customs data.

The two-day 14th Joint Group of Customs (JGC) meeting between India and Bangladesh that ended on Tuesday was co-chaired by CBIC Member (Customs) Surjit Bhujabal and Bangladesh National Board of Revenue Member Md. Mahbubuzzaman.

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In a statement, the finance ministry said the 14th JGC meeting discussed a host of bilateral issues such as opening of new land customs stations, easing port restrictions, development of road and rail infrastructure, pre-arrival exchange of customs data and a bilateral agreement on customs cooperation.

India thanked Bangladesh for completing trial runs and issuing notification for operationalising the agreement on use of Chattogram and Mongla Ports (ACMP) as was decided in the 13th JGC meeting and initiated discussions on electronic connectivity of the respective transit modules of ACMP.

The bilateral meeting concluded with both sides committing to furtherance of cooperation in areas of mutual interest, the statement added.

The India-Bangladesh JGC meetings are held on an annual basis to discuss issues relating to customs cooperation and cross-border trade facilitation. These meetings play a vital role in enhancing connectivity and developing trade infrastructure for smooth customs clearance at land borders.

There are 62 Land Customs Stations (which include land border crossing points, railway stations and river banks/ports) along with the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.