Kolkata: Union Home Minister Amit Shah opened a passenger terminal facility and a friendship gate called “Maitri Dwar” at Petrapole in North 24 Parganas district on Sunday as trade resumed through land ports along the Bangladeshi border.
Speaking at the opening, Shah asserted that Petrapole Land Port handled trade of Rs 18,000 crore in 2016–17, shortly after the BJP took control of the federal government. “In 2023-24, that sum surpassed Rs 30,000 crore,” he continued.
The LPAI spent Rs 487 crore to construct the Maitri Dwar and the new passenger terminal structure. Shah emphasized that the LPAI is working on the “4 Ps”—prosperity, peace, and partnership—under the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Additionally, PM Narendra Modi has changed the LPAI’s premise. Once viewed only as a tool for trade, it has now evolved into a gateway to peace and prosperity, helping to build prosperous nations, fostering legitimate trade to reduce illicit trade, and fostering connections with neighboring countries.
Approximately 60,000 square meters make up the terminal building, which can accommodate 25,000 people per day. He added that this will increase medical and educational travel. Our trade and mobility are improved by the fact that Petrapole is the biggest and busiest land port in South Asia. Petrapole accounts for almost 70% of all land-based traffic between Bangladesh and India, he said.
“Trade will rise as transportation improves. Additionally, LPAI is working to enhance people-to-people contact. He added that 23 additional land ports will be established nationwide in addition to the current 12, saying that immigration, customs, and border security have all been consolidated under one roof.”
According to Shah, LPAI has been instrumental in fostering lawful trade among neighbors and enabling the interchange of literature, culture, and language. He claimed that in addition to securing the borders, the Modi administration has also sought to link them to progress.
