India allows transit for heavier Nepali cargo to Bangladesh

India has approved higher axle weight limits for Nepali cargo vehicles transiting the Kakarbhitta-Phulbari-Banglabandha route, facilitating trade with Bangladesh, the Indian Commerce Ministry announced on Sunday.

Under Indian road transport regulations, the limits are set at 18.5 tonnes for two-axle vehicles and 28 tonnes for three-axle vehicles. 

The decision followed Nepal's request during the India-Nepal Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) meeting on trade and transit held in Kathmandu on January 10-11.

The meeting was co-chaired by Indian Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal and Nepal's Secretary of Industry, Commerce, and Supplies, Gobinda Bahadur Karkee, with delegations from both nations.

Banglabandha, a key inland port in northern Bangladesh, provides a trade corridor between Nepal and Bangladesh via India's Siliguri corridor, a 52km stretch of land known as the 'chicken's neck.' 

This route, operational since August 31 of 1997, has bolstered regional trade ties.