The Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday issued a notification adding the ‘New Jalpaiguri-Railway Check Post’ in the district of Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, as the immigration check post in order to improve trade and passenger movement between India and Bangladesh. The Bureau of Immigration now manages three railway check post stations on the India-Bangladesh border: Chitpur, Gede, and Haridaspur.
The ‘New Jalpaiguri Railway Check Post’ in the West Bengal district of Jalpaiguri is an authorised Immigration Check Post for entry into/exit from India with valid travel documents for all classes of travellers, according to the announcement.
It further mentions that Central Government hereby appoints Chief Immigration Officer, Bureau of Immigration, New Jalpaiguri Railway Check Post as the “Civil Authority” for the purpose of said Order for the Immigration Check Post located at New Jalpaiguri, Jalpaiguri District of West Bengal State with effect from April 20, 2022.
On April 11, in a high-level meeting, MHA had given nod to resume the India-Bangladesh train services after a series of meetings.
Thereafter, other stakeholders like the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian Railways, Bureau of Immigration and security heads were asked to start preparations to resume the India-Bangladesh train service and issues related to security, health infrastructure and Railways preparations to be completed at the earliest.
The transit points- Chitpur, Gede and Haridaspur, have got the requisite clearance from MHA to resume operation, but the newly added transit point New Jalpaiguri was in the process and now it has been done, said a senior MHA official to ANI on anonymity. A senior official said that there were long-pending demands for the reopening of train travel between India and Bangladesh that were suspended due to COVID-19. It will boost trade and passenger movement across the border, the official said.
