In a major development that is expected to boost trade between New Delhi and Dhaka, cargo trucks can now enter Benapole port in Bangladesh from Petrapole port in West Bengal within three days. Earlier, it took more than a month, reported the Business Standard, Bangladesh.

The newspaper said that the change came after the West Bengal decided to do away with charge of the parking lot from Bangaon municipality and handed it over to the Department of Transport recently. Cargo trucks could remain stuck for up to 39 days, it said.

“Earlier, there used to be around 9,000 cargo trucks in line, waiting to enter Petrapole port from the Kalitala parking lot, the newspaper said, adding that now it has come down to 1,587, according to several cargo truck drivers.

India and Bangladesh have expedited bilateral talks to boost cooperation and development in the aftermath of the Covid 19 pandemic. That apart the changing geopolitical contours driven by the Russia-Ukraine crisis have also necessitated boosting of regional cooperation.

Increasing connectivity and easing supply chain networks will be critical for the two South Asian economies to revive growth.

“The Covid pandemic has highlighted the need to expand regional cooperation, especially countries that share borders. It has given us a chance to revisit our regional strategy.. how effectively we fight back in the post pandemic phase will largely depend on our cooperation and even flexibility,” Nazneen Ahmed, Country Economist at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Bangladesh, told India Narrative earlier.

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