Kolkata: The ministry of home affairs has added the Haldia Dock Complex as a seaport so that it can be included as a designated immigration checkpoint. This will make Haldia the 41st seaport immigration checkpoint in India..Speaking to TOI, a top official of Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata, told TOI that the move will benefit the crew of foreign-flagged ships anchoring in Haldia. “There was no immigration facility at Haldia. Foreign crew members who wanted to land for a few days had to obtain permission from Kolkata through agents. With immigration facilities, this problem will be solved,” the official added. An expert said the railway link of Haldia is the best among east coast ports.Haldia Port is a premier gateway for energy imports in eastern India and has expanded into one of the largest LPG importing ports in the country. “It is playing a crucial role in supplying millions of households across eastern and northeastern India. The new rule would help tanker crews as well,” an official added.Every day, around 15 vessels anchor at Haldia, and sometimes the number goes further up. A major portion of this is constituted by foreign vessels. Sources close to the development said the step will make Haldia more attractive for foreign vessels. The present capacity of Haldia Dock Complex is 50.7 million metric ton.Haldia Dock Complex was originally built to take some load off the overflowing Kolkata Port. Growth of Haldia Dock Complex, which started functioning in 1968, found momentum with the commissioning of Haldia Port in Feb 1977, when it started its international operations.The Land Port Authority of India is also planning to set up seven more integrated land ports in Bengal on the Bangladesh border in the next 5-6 years, with a majority in the vital Siliguri Corridor. The next integrated land port would be in Ghojadanga.
