Dhubri Port in Assam has the potential to become a major export hub for Bangladesh, but operational issues are preventing it from reaching its full potential. At the Multi-stakeholders and Traders’ Meeting on “Cross-Border Trade, Tourism, and Navigation through Trans-boundary Inland Waterways between India and Bangladesh,” Atowar Rahman, President, Dhubri Waterways International Traders Association, said this.
According to Rahman, the Brahmaputra now forms a secondary channel, necessitating massive dredging to make the inland canal accessible. Dhubri port is an important river port in Assam, located on the banks of the Brahmaputra in Dhubri town. This port is essential for port terminal and is located on National Waterway 2. It is at the western end of National Waterway 2 near the Bangladesh border.
“The ground level issues and concerns faced by traders and exporters might not reach the policy-makers at the right time, thus this initiative is an attempt to bring forward the issues faced by local traders and exporters involved in cross-border trade through Dhubri,” said Saurabh Kumar, Fellow, CUTS International, a global-policy think- and- action tank on trade, regulations and governance.
“Digitalisation of all the documents, faster implementation of EDI system (Electronic Database Interchange), and reduction of paper-work and time-bound approvals are highly required in this region. The port also needs more facilities that would facilitate smooth and efficient trade. Furthermore, reviving the Ro-Ro services in Dhubri Port will reduce the cost and time involved,” said Lalit Kumar Chopra, Manager and Chattered Accountant of Bhansali International, a leading export-import firm.
Other traders pointed out that Dhubri requires local vessel building, maintenance and repairing facility so that Indian vessels can also ply on India-Bangladesh Protocol route. Right now only Bangladeshi vessels are operating on this route which increases cost. Local traders also demanded that if import duty in Bangladesh is reduced on Indian products and become at par with Bhutanese products then local products can also be exported to Chilmari from Dhubri.
