LPAI Eyes Major Border Infra Push with 7 New Integrated Land Ports.

The Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) is planning to set up seven additional integrated land ports along West Bengal’s border with Bangladesh over the next five to six years, with most of them concentrated in the strategically important Siliguri Corridor, LPAI Chairman Jayant Singh said during a visit to Kolkata last week.

At present, West Bengal has only one integrated land port at Petrapole. The proposed new facilities are planned at Ghojadanga, Madhavpara, Hili, Birpara, Jalgao, Panitanki and Chamurchi, with five of these locations falling within the Siliguri Corridor region.

Singh said the Ghojadanga land port in North 24 Parganas would be the first to be developed and indicated that he would seek cooperation from the state government for its inauguration.

Each integrated land port requires approximately 50 acres of land, and Singh said land has already been secured at some of the proposed sites. The facilities are expected to include customs and immigration offices, parking areas, food courts, shopping complexes and Border Security Force infrastructure.

He added that the expansion of land port infrastructure could significantly boost bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh. “Once fully operational, trade through the land route could increase up to ten times,” Singh said.

India currently operates 15 integrated land ports, with West Bengal accounting for only one. The LPAI chairman noted that the national vision aims to develop more than 80 such ports by 2047 to strengthen cross-border trade and connectivity.