Benapole cargo terminal completed, set to launch in October to ease congestion

The construction of a cargo vehicle terminal at Benapole land port, one of Bangladesh's largest projects, is now complete.

The project, aimed at reducing congestion at the country's busiest land port, is expected to be launched in October, said Benapole Land Port Deputy Director Rashedul Sajib Nazir.

He said that work on the terminal began in February 2022 after acquiring the necessary land.

The total construction cost is around Tk 329 crore, he said.

"The terminal will accommodate 1,200 to 1,500 cargo trucks. It spans approximately 24 acres, with Tk 109 crore allocated for land acquisition and Tk 220 crore for construction," added the deputy director.

Trade with India through the Benapole land port in Jashore has become increasingly hectic, often resulting in long delays during cargo processing.

To address this issue and boost the port's capacity, the project titled "Construction of Cargo Vehicle Terminal at Benapole" was initiated.

Several key infrastructures have been constructed under this project.

These include a parking yard, cargo building, port service building, utility building, fire station, modern toilet complex, weighbridge scale, and other necessary facilities.

The terminal will provide modern, attractive features that can significantly enhance the efficiency of the port once it's operational.

Currently, four contractor firms are handling different parts of the project.

TBEAL is responsible for building boundary walls and gates, while NDEL RSSIJV-Era has constructed the toilet complex, barrack building, open yard, and operation building. ATTL installed a scanner, and ST Technology Limited worked on CC camera installation, said the deputy director.

Port authorities expect that once the terminal is functional, the congestion issue that has plagued the port will reduce drastically.

The current space constraints often leave imported goods under the open sky, while Indian trucks remain parked at the port for days due to unloading challenges. Port users believe the new terminal will alleviate these issues and improve operations.

Motiar Rahman, director of India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, "The cargo vehicle terminal has been well-built to ease traffic congestion."

He also mentioned that the infrastructures are "up-to-date and of good quality."

Motiar Rahman expressed optimism about the terminal's impact on port efficiency, saying, "If this terminal is inaugurated, the congestion of goods will surely be reduced, and suffering will decrease. This will also boost our revenue income."

Deputy Director Rashedul Sajib said that about 7,000 to 8,000 metric tons of goods are imported from India through the Benapole port daily.

Due to limited space, many of these products remain exposed to the elements, while trucks wait to unload their goods.

The Benapole port has seen significant growth in revenue over the years. In the financial year 2011-12, the port collected Tk 2,425 crore in revenue, which increased to Tk 5,786 crore in the financial year 2022-23. Import volume also rose, from 15 lakh tons in 2011-12 to 20.35 lakh tons in the last year.

Project Director and Supervising Engineer Hasan Ali shared that the terminal has been built to high-quality standards through lab tests conducted by BUET, KUET, and the port's own team.

He also expects the electricity connection to be completed within the next week.

Hasan believes that once the terminal opens, it will significantly increase the capacity and revenue of the port.

"The terminal will facilitate smoother trade between Bangladesh and India," he said, expressing confidence that it will help ease the long-standing issues at Benapole.