Customs exemption for dry port construction materials in Dodhara-Chandani moves forward
Mahendranagar: The process of granting customs exemption on the import of construction materials and tools for the dry port under construction in Dodhara-Chandani Municipality has progressed.
Ashish Gajurel, Executive Director of the Intermodal Transport Development Committee, stated that the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies has approved the customs exemption and forwarded the recommendation to the Ministry of Finance for implementation. The exemption covers the import of materials and tools necessary for the dry port’s construction, and the process is now underway.
“A list of customs exemptions was provided to the contractor to import construction materials and tools from India,” said Director Gajurel. “The list has been approved and is currently in the implementation stage.”
The dry port is being constructed with financial assistance from the Indian government, which has awarded the contract to an Indian construction company that has already begun preliminary work. According to Director Gajurel, the company has started soil compaction at the site and is constructing structures for workers’ accommodation. The construction work is expected to gain momentum once the imported materials and tools arrive from India.
The project, estimated at Rs 3.8 billion, is planned to be completed within three years. The port will be built on 42.36 hectares of Gaurishankar Community Forest in Dodhara-Chandani Municipality-1 and will include two warehouses, customs inspection, quarantine, educational and security buildings, among other facilities.
Located on the west side of the ‘Charlen’ concrete bridge over the Mahakali River, the dry port is anticipated to boost trade and transform Kanchanpur into a major commercial hub in the Far West. Once completed, it will provide direct access to New Delhi and the Rudrapur Industrial Area in Uttarakhand, located 90 kilometers away. The government had proposed the dry port project in 2064 BS.