West Bengal will remain the central focus of the Land Ports Authority of India’s (LPAI) upcoming land port development plans, chairperson Jayant Singh said on June 9 while launching the Land Port Management System (LPMS) “Vinimay”. The state’s strategic location, with Bangladesh on one side, Bhutan on another and Nepal on the third, and the need to secure the sensitive Siliguri corridor, makes it critical for future border infrastructure.

LPAI currently operates 15 land ports across India and plans to develop 11 more over the next three years, with a majority in West Bengal. The authority aims to transform border crossings into multimodal corridors, enabling integrated development of Raxaul, Birganj, Jogbani and the entire Siliguri corridor under the Border Infrastructure and Management (BIM) scheme.

Singh highlighted that land ports are being repositioned as economic hubs, and in Petrapole and Ghojadanga in West Bengal, the authority has secured 20–22 acres of land each, where textile clusters could be developed. LPAI’s upcoming Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) in West Bengal include Fulbari (Bangladesh border), Panitanki (Nepal border), Jaigoan (Bhutan border), Ghojadanga, Mahadipur, Hili, Changrabandha and more, reinforcing the state’s role as a land-port powerhouse.

Fulbari, in Jalpaiguri district, is located near NH-27 and is connected to Nepal via Panitanki under Asian Highway 2, with a Detailed Project Report ready and 55.2 acres of land identified for development. The push for land ports in West Bengal aligns with India’s broader goal of enhancing cross-border trade, reducing dwell time and strengthening border security along the 4,096-km India–Bangladesh frontier and other northern borders.