Kathmandu, October 27
Ashish Gajurel, chair of the Infrastructure Development Committee of the House of Representatives, and Arvind Sah, a House of Representatives member from Bara constituency 3, have conducted an on-site monitoring visit to the Birgunj Dry Port and the Birgunj Integrated Check Post.
They inspected the physical infrastructure, management and operating procedures of the ports, which are run by the private sector under the public-private partnership (PPP) concept.
Following the merger of the Intermodal Transport Development Committee and the Nepal Transit and Warehousing Company, the ports are now operated through the Transit and Warehouse Management Company.
The monitoring was carried out to learn about the post-merger operations, management effectiveness, and the problems seen in service delivery and the scope for improvement.
During the visit, they held discussions with Kamal Gyawali, assistant manager at the Transit and Warehouse Management Company; Rajiv Mohan Jha, chief executive officer of Pristine Valley, the company operating the dry port; and Ganesh Prasad Ghimire, manager of TRS Logipark, the company operating the integrated check post, among others.
In the discussions, the operating companies requested that the ports’ entry gates be arranged to run round the clock. Committee chair Gajurel has asked the director general of the Department of Customs to provide the necessary facilitation on this matter.
Currently, the Birgunj Dry Port receives an average of 110 freight trains a month, while an average of 800 cargo vehicles move through the Birgunj Integrated Check Post daily.
These figures show the important role both Birgunj facilities play in the country’s import-export and transit management.
During the monitoring, they took stock of the physical infrastructure, operating procedures and service delivery at both ports. In particular, they gave necessary directives on making effective use of rail-related infrastructure, making rail operations more systematic, and making the cargo transport process smooth and effective.
Since the railway plays an important role in supplying chemical fertiliser to Nepal, committee chair Gajurel also directed that customs procedures related to fertiliser imports be made smooth, swift and orderly.
Effective customs procedures are expected to help cut cargo transport time and ease the supply system.
On the occasion, committee chair Gajurel expressed the view that the PPP model being used at the Birgunj Dry Port and Integrated Check Post should be extended to other infrastructure development sectors.
He said that if the private sector’s efficiency, management capacity and investment can be used effectively, infrastructure operations and service delivery can be improved.
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