KATHMANDU: The government has expedited construction of Integrated Container Depots (ICDs) and Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) in 11 places across the country.

The construction is aimed at facilitating international trade and is achieving remarkable progress in this arena. While some physical infrastructures have been built already, some were in their final phase. Construction of ICDs and ICPs has been implemented aggressively in the country with an objective to balance the imbalance recorded in Nepal’s trade with foreign countries and to reduce the trade deficit.

According to the Department of Customs, the amount of trade deficit stood at around Rs 1 trillion 398 billion 712 million 987 thousand in the last fiscal year 2020/21. Nepal recorded export worth Rs 1.4 trillion and import worth over Rs 15 trillion during the same period.

The Nepal-India ICP has already come into operation in Birgunj and Biratnagar. Construction of ICP is underway in Bhairahawa and Nepalgunj.

The construction of modern dry ports have been accelerated in various seven places to ease the trade such as Birgunj, Bhairahawa, Kakadvitta, Tatopani, Rasuwa, Kathmandu, Dodhara Chandani. Among these places, modern dry ports have already been in operation in Tatopani and Birgunj.

Dry port construction in Kathmandu’s Chobhar nears completion, said Nepal Intermodal Transport Development Board’s executive director Ashish Gajurel. RSS