The Integrated Check Post, Cargo Terminal for the facilitating Indo-Pak trade and strengthening the cordial relations between two countries, started on 09.04.2012 and formally inaugurated on the day of Vaishakhi Festival by Hon’ble Home Minister.
The whole ICP is spread over a land of 120 Acres near the historical Attari-Wagha Border. The Central Warehousing Corporation (A Govt. of India Undertaking) under the ministry of Food, Consumer Affairs and Public distribution, was nominated as the custodian of the cargo terminal by the LPAI, Ministry of Home Affairs and appointed by Commissioner of Customs to handle the import and export cargo at Land Custom Station, ICP Attari, Amritsar.
Total area under cargo terminal:
S. No. | Structures | Area Covered |
1 | Total Area of ICP | 120 Acres |
2 | Cargo Terminal Building | 4536 Sq. Mts. |
3 | Import Warehouses (2 Nos) | 7400 Sq. Mts. |
4 | Export Warehouse | 3400 Sq. Mts. |
5 | Cold Chambers (5 Nos.) | 610 Sq. Mts. |
6 | Area for loose Cargo | 40000 Sq. Mts. (approx.) |
7 | Paved Parking Area | 55000 Sq. Mts. |
8 | Holding Area | 38000 Sq. Mts (approx.) |
9 | Weigh Bridges (2 Nos) | 100 MT Capacity (each) |
Facilities introduced:
Wireless Networking.
Computerization of Weighbridges, Godowns, Accounts and Central Offices.
Utilization of Open Import Paved Area for Storage providing Wooden Crates beneath the stocks & Covered with Polythene Covers.
Utilization of Holding Area for export truck parking.
Utilization of Actual loose cargo open area for storage.
Extension of holding area to accommodate large No. of trucks and Optimum utilization of open area.
No loaded import truck refused/returned back to Pakistan.
We have started our operations w.e.f. 09.04.2012. There are two Lorry Weighbridges, one for the Pak trucks weighment and another for the export and import laden Indian trucks, three godowns for import and export cargo offloading, custom examination and loading. We started the operations here with the manual records and slowly switch over to the electronic data entry connected internally by the wireless networking at each operating point in godowns and weighbridges. The electronic data entry boosted by the wireless networking has accelerated our transactions and reduced the dwell time to the least extent possible.
We have also mechanised the different operations like loading of loose cargo, loading and unloading of Float Glass, liquid cargo etc. to complete these operations in no time and hence improved the turnover of the export and import cargo with many folds.
Initially the pressure was on import as per the demand of the season and we have put all our best efforts to smoothen and fasten the transaction in order to handle more and more import commodities/cargo. For ex. for ending the possibilities of refusing the import trucks due to scarcity of the space in the import godowns we have started to store the Commodities like dry dates etc. in the open with the help of crates and polythene covers so that the valuable commodities can be saved from the adversities of climate and side by side the trade relations of both the countries may get strength by nullifying the possibilities of refusal of import.
In the later stage when the season of export was/is on full swing and export trucks waiting outside the ICP started to become a problem for the traders and transporters we have started to use the holding area for the export truck parking where we have space for the parking of at least 400 trucks. Even after attempting this step the waiting line outside ICP showed very less improvement then we shifted the loose cargo like gypsum in the area near by zero line originally designated for the loose materials and had created the space for at least 200 trucks for parking. Hence we have tried achieved the optimum utilization of the space offered by ICP for cargo handling in the best interest of the international trade.