Benapole Land Port now fully automated

Benapole Port, the country’s biggest land port, has come under full automation as its recently installed automated machines and electronic devices are now fully operational.

According to port authorities, information on imported goods are now stored in computer database which can be easily provided to service seekers over mobile phones.

Moreover, after a cargo truck enters the port area from India, the accurate weight of the goods, exact time of entry, current location and the return schedule of the truck can be easily determined by this this automation process.

Trade between Bangladesh and India will multiply as a result of this initiative as checking and discharging of goods will be easier from on, port authorities said.

Additionally, bringing custom houses under closed-circuit television (CCTV) monitoring will help prevent incidents of smuggling and illegal border crossings, they said.

Traders have long been demanding better security for their goods using automation in order to expand trade through the land port.

Though India has been Bangladesh’s main trading partner since independence, trade between the two countries has not been a smooth one due to the lack of automation at the port.

Importer Jahangir Hossain said, trade with India is much easier and faster now with the new digitised process of checking and discharging goods.

Import-Export Samity President Aminul Haque said: “Trade with India is now worth Tk 53,000 crore per year. Benapole Customs House directly and indirectly earns a revenue of Tk 5,000 crore annually. These numbers will increase further,” he added.

Benapole Port Deputy Director Mamun Tarafdar said, Benapole Port’s first automation initiative was taken in 2019 as a pilot project. “As the port is now fully-automated, traders from both sides of the border will be able to keep an eye on their goods passing through the border without being physically present there,” he added.

Earlier in July, 2021, work began to install automation machines and CCTV cameras and a boundary wall all along the port area at a cost of an estimated cost of Tk 150 million, according to media reports. It takes only three hours for a truck to reach Benapole after loading goods from Kolkata, which is only at a distance of 84 kilometres, making it a major transportation hub for the business communities of both Bengals in particular.