ASHUGANJ: Akhaura Land Customs Station on the Bangladesh-India border started operation in a full blast aiming to help boost country’s trade with the seven landlocked eastern states of India.

Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan on Friday morning formally inaugurated the new land port--at a time when the two neighboring countries are agreed on enhanced trade and transit as part of regional connectivity.

Shipping secretary Abdul Mannan Hawladar, local MP Shah Alam and DC Abdul Mannan were also present at the function.

After the inauguration, Shahjahan Khan said, “The country’s economic growth will increase now as the land port started its operation in full swing.”

The minister hoped it would be one of the best land ports of the country.

Earlier, the border port was enlisted as “Private Sector Infrastructure Project” on August 11 in 2005 after the announcement of Akhaura Customs Station as a full-fledged land port on January 12, 2002.

The cost of 15 acres of land acquired for the port was estimated at Tk 8.75 crore, of which Tk 4.5 crore was spent on the site development.

The project includes construction of administrative building, warehouse, yard, parking-lot and setting up a dumping place and offering proper banking facility, he also said.

As of now, the cross-border business facility earns mainly from export consignments of goods like fish, cement, glass, battery, furniture, plastic items and soyabean oil traded out to the seven Indian states, virtually cut-off from the mainland.

Bangladesh exported around 442,965 tonnes of products and imported just 557 tonnes of commodities through the gateway last fiscal.

BDST: 1537HRS, AUG 13, 2010