Land taken on lease by Nepal at Haldia, Kolkata ports become useless, state paying Rs 560,000 per month as rent

Himal Lamsal

Kolkata (India), Nov 28: The state has been spending Rs 560,000 per month from the national coffers in lack of utilization of the land that Nepal has taken on lease at Kolkata and Haldia ports here. 

Nepal has been paying such amount every month in lack of management of the land taken on leases by Nepal with India as per the Transit Treaty. Such problem has surfaced due to the apathy of Nepal Transit and Warehousing Company Limited. The Company has been managing the warehouse of 4,850 square feet at Kolkata port. 

The government has been paying 56,000 Indian rupees per month as a rent of a land in Kolkata. The contract of the land has now terminated.  

Total 8,985 square feet land of Haldia port has become useless. Manager of Haldia port, Him Nath Poudel, shared that though the land could be used to store coal as well as other materials, it has not been used yet.  

He mentioned that Shyam Prasad Mookerjee Port here has requested to exchange the land, it has not been decided yet.

Several vehicles are parked haphazardly on Haldia's land. Branch manager Paudel said that they have been paying a monthly rent of INR 300,000 for the land rented in Haldia.

Although coal necessary for Nepal is still coming through Haldia port, this land where vehicles are parked haphazardly cannot be utilised for storing coal due to lack of sufficient space for its storage. However, around the same land, there are warehouses for storing coal and other construction materials as gypsum.

Nepal's Consular General based in Kolkata, Jhakka Prasad Acharya, shared that both the lands obtained on lease in Kolkata and Haldia under the trade and transit agreement should be used commercially.

He emphasised that if the land cannot be used, a workable solution must be found even by amending the transport agreement.

Consul General Acharya suggested that a workable solution should be sought through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the land in Kolkata and Haldia that Nepal has received under the transit agreement.

"Since both plots are within the port area, Nepal is not in a position to build large-scale infrastructure with a huge investment. At the very least, someone should be entrusted with management responsibilities to the extent that they can pay the rent," he said. RSS