Benapole
Encyclopedia
Benapole is a township in Sharsha Upazila
in the Jessore District
of Bangladesh
. The Petrapole
Customs station of India
is situated across the border and since 1971 (some sources say 1947), a large number of people have travelled between Bangladesh and India through Benapole Customs station. The railway link between Bangladesh and India through Benapole was discontinued when war broke out between Pakistan
and India
in September of 1965. Urbanization of Benapole started in the 1990s along the Grand Trunk Road
.
and is operated by the Bangladesh Land Port Authority (BLPA). Geographically Benapole is majot strategical point for border trading between India and Bangladesh owing ito its proximity to Kolkata
. According to Land Port Authority, approximately 90 percent of the total imported items from India come through Benapole. Primarily Benapole land port was an Land Customs station and gradually it turned into a Customs Division 1984) and later Custom House (1997) in response to its rising importance as in terms of import volume. In 2009, Finance minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith
opened the newly constructed building of Benapole Customs and Immigration Check post.
As of 2009, 143 staff including 9 officials and 134 employees are working at the Benapole land port. In fiscal year 1996-97 revenue realized from Benapole land port was around Taka 500 crore
, at present it is Taka 850 crore.
Benapole land port is also lucrative for Indian exporters for its cheaper service and equipment charges. Indian goods receive duty exemption advantage in this land port. The Indian Government has also decided to give priority to export in Bangladesh through Benapole-Petrapole border. Kolkata
, one of the commercial hubs of India, is only 80 kilometers away from the Petrapole-Benapole border and is involved in development in the area.
Benapole had witnessed a rise of imports by 15 – 20 percent each year. It has become a significant revenue generator for the government since late 1980s. However, port facilities remain under-developed as yet. Carriability of the road from Benapole to Jessopre is limited notwithstanding regular maintenance. A two-member consultant team of the Asian Development Bank
(ADB) is working to sort out improvement areas in the immigration and customs of the land port and also studying feasibility of Benapole-Petropole border as a corridor of transit in this South Asian region.
Sharsha Upazila
Sharsha is an Upazila of Jessore District in the Division of Khulna, Bangladesh.-Geography:Sharsha is located at . It has 46084 units of house hold and total area 336.34 km².-Demographics:...
in the Jessore District
Jessore District
Jessore is a district located in the Khulna Division of southwestern Bangladesh. It is bordered by India to the west.The district produces a variety of crops year-round. Date-sugar called patali is made from the sap of locally grown date trees that is cooked, thickened and crystallised using a...
of Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. The Petrapole
Petrapole
Petrapole is the Indian side of Petrapole-Benapole border checkpoint between India and Bangladesh. It is also referred to as Haridaspur border check post.-Location:...
Customs station of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
is situated across the border and since 1971 (some sources say 1947), a large number of people have travelled between Bangladesh and India through Benapole Customs station. The railway link between Bangladesh and India through Benapole was discontinued when war broke out between Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in September of 1965. Urbanization of Benapole started in the 1990s along the Grand Trunk Road
Grand Trunk Road
The Grand Trunk Road also formerly known as Uttarapatha, Shah Rah-e-Azam or Sadak-e-Azam or Badshahi Sadak is one of South Asia's oldest and longest major roads...
.
Customs
On the Bangladesh-India land border, Benapole is the most important checkpost of BangladeshBangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
and is operated by the Bangladesh Land Port Authority (BLPA). Geographically Benapole is majot strategical point for border trading between India and Bangladesh owing ito its proximity to Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
. According to Land Port Authority, approximately 90 percent of the total imported items from India come through Benapole. Primarily Benapole land port was an Land Customs station and gradually it turned into a Customs Division 1984) and later Custom House (1997) in response to its rising importance as in terms of import volume. In 2009, Finance minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith
Abul Maal Abdul Muhith
Abul Maal Abdul Muhith is an economist, diplomat, and a Bengali Language Movement veteran from Bangladesh. He was born in Sylhet in 1934.-Education:Mr. Muhith secured first place in his Intermediate examination in 1951 from Sylhet MC College...
opened the newly constructed building of Benapole Customs and Immigration Check post.
As of 2009, 143 staff including 9 officials and 134 employees are working at the Benapole land port. In fiscal year 1996-97 revenue realized from Benapole land port was around Taka 500 crore
Crore
A crore is a unit in the Indian number system equal to ten million , or 100 lakhs. It is widely used in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan....
, at present it is Taka 850 crore.
Benapole land port is also lucrative for Indian exporters for its cheaper service and equipment charges. Indian goods receive duty exemption advantage in this land port. The Indian Government has also decided to give priority to export in Bangladesh through Benapole-Petrapole border. Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, one of the commercial hubs of India, is only 80 kilometers away from the Petrapole-Benapole border and is involved in development in the area.
Benapole had witnessed a rise of imports by 15 – 20 percent each year. It has become a significant revenue generator for the government since late 1980s. However, port facilities remain under-developed as yet. Carriability of the road from Benapole to Jessopre is limited notwithstanding regular maintenance. A two-member consultant team of the Asian Development Bank
Asian Development Bank
The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 22 August 1966 to facilitate economic development of countries in Asia...
(ADB) is working to sort out improvement areas in the immigration and customs of the land port and also studying feasibility of Benapole-Petropole border as a corridor of transit in this South Asian region.