The Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram unveiled the foundation stone for the construction of an Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Agartala in Tripura on Wednesday in presence of Chief Minister of Tripura, Shri Manik Sarkar and other dignitaries.
The setting up of ICPs along India’s internal border is a major initiative, which the Government of India has taken as part of a Plan scheme with an initial outlay of Rs. 635 crore during the 11th Five Year Plan. The estimated cost of Agartala ICP Project is Rs. 73.50 crore. Rs. 42.17 crore has been approved for the civil construction of this ICP. The schedule for the completion of the project is around 14 months. The project is likely to be completed by July, 2012.
The Department of Border Management has finalized the detailed project reports for all the 13 ICPs to be initially set up on the borders between India and Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Myanmar.
The construction work of ICPs at Attari on the Indo-Pakistan border, Raxaul and Jogbani on the Indo-Nepal border has already started.
The ICPs are envisaged to overcome the infrastructural bottlenecks at the various entry and exit points on the land borders of the country. They are expected to provide facilities for the effective and efficient discharge of sovereign functions such as security, immigration, customs, quarantine, etc. while also providing support facilities for smooth cross-border movement of persons, goods and transport.
The Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI ) Act, 2010 has been notified in the Official Gazette on 1st September, 2010. It will be functional very shortly. This body will be vested with powers on the lines of similar bodies like the Airports Authority of India. LPAI has been envisaged as a statutory body for the planning, construction, maintenance and management of these ICPs.
Till the LPAI comes into existence, an Empowered Steering Committee has been constituted under the Secretary (Border Management) to undertake the functions that will be ultimately discharged by the LPAI.
The salient features of the ICP are a modular design, dedicated lanes for each process, separate gates for traffic across the border, least traffic conflicts, Self-evident routes, guide signage and administrative and facility area. Facilities which will be available include:
- Passenger terminal building
- Internet facility
- Cargo inspection sheds
- Quarantine laboratory
- Banks
- CCTV/PA System
- Parking
- Other public utilities
- Currency exchange
- Cargo process building
- Warehouse/Cold storage
- Clearing agent
- Scanners
- Isolation Bay
- Cafeteria
Government of Bangladesh has also been apprised to create similar infrastructure and facilities to bring about proper synergy.
Law and order review in Tripura, Mizoram
Chidambaram along with senior officials also reviewed the law and order situation of two northeastern states of Tripura and Mizoram on Tuesday and Wednesday, officials said.
‘The union home minister held meetings with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and top central, state and para-military officials on Tuesday and assessed the prevailing law and order situation of Tripura, bordering Bangladesh,’ a senior Tripura government official told reporters.
The home minister reached Aizawl on Wednesday and held meetings with Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla and top officials and reviewed the situation in the mountainous state, bordering Myanmar and Bangladesh.
The home minister’s visit comes in the backdrop of the center’s attempts to bring all the insurgent outfits of the northeast to the negotiating table. Talks are being held at various levels with the separatist outfits of Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur and Mizoram.
Chidambaram, during his two-day visit in Imphal, Manipur, last week, held a series of meetings with Manipur Governor Gurubachan Jagat, Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh and senior army and intelligence officers to take stock of the law and order situation in the insurgency infested state.
Chidambaram also supervised the progress of the repatriation of tribal refugees from north Tripura to western Mizoram. The long-awaited repatriation of tribal refugees from Tripura to neighbouring Mizoram had resumed April 12 but there is still uncertainty over whether all the migrants here would return home, officials here said.
Chidambaram, during his stay in Tripura, will also lay the foundation stone of an international standard integrated check-post (ICP) Tuesday at Akhaurah, two km west of Tripura capital Agartala.
The ICP, to be set up at a cost of Rs.60 crore – would be sanitised zones with dedicated passenger and cargo terminals and space for regulatory agencies besides the necessary modern facilities under one roof.
Besides passenger terminal buildings, the ICP will provide adequate customs and immigration facilities, weigh bridges, security and scanning equipment, currency exchange booths, internet facility, cargo process building, cargo inspection sheds, warehouse and cold storage, health and quarantine facilities, clearing agents, banks, scanners, close circuit television, public address systems, isolation bay, parking, cafeteria, hotels and other public utilities.