2.3.2 Major Border Crossing of Rani/Jogbani

Overview Daily Capacity Customs Clearance Other Relevant Information

Aerial view of Border crossing with (1) ICD, (2) Biratnagar Customs Office, (3) Jogbani Railway Station

Overview

The city of Biratnagar is 7 kilometres (4 mi) north of Nepal's southern border with state, . Indian and Nepalese nationals cross freely as the border is open for local movement. The checkpoint is under the joint oversight of Armed Police Force along with Local Police unit for overall security and Biratnagar Customs Office for administrative and record keeping responsibilities.

Jogbani town in District is on the Indian side, where a rail line ends at Jogbani Station (JBN) under Division of Northeast Frontier railways. Nepal’s eastern border of Kakarbhitta lies at a distance of 108 kilometres (67.5 mi) from the city and can be reached via frequent buses running half-hourly from the city's bus park.

Biratnagar is the 4th largest border crossing point, with 11.04% share of total import value (ref: Dept of Customs, 2019/20).

Border Crossing Location and Contact

Name of Border Crossing Rani, Biratnagar – Nepal side

Jogbani, Bihar – India Side

Province or District Province-1, Morang

Nearest Town or City Biratnagar

Latitude 26.40250

Longitude 87.26583

Managing Authority/Agency Biratnagar Customs Office, Armed Police Force

Page 1 Contact Person Shiva Prasad Bhandari (Customs Officer)

Biratnagar Metropolitan Ward No. 21, Rani, Morang

Mob: 9852037345

Tel: 021-436297

Fax: 021-436323

E-mail: [email protected]

Travel Times

Nearest International Airport Baghdogra, India Distance: 162 km Truck: 5 hours Car: 2 ½ hours

Nearest Port Kolkota, India Distance: 550 km Truck: 2 days (night travel only) Car: 8 hours Train: 12 hours

Nearest Major Market , India Distance: 150 km Truck: 4 hours Car: 2 hours

Other Information 4 Lane highway to the market at Siliguri Fuelling stations en-route

Hours of Operation

Mondays 06:00 – 21:00

Tuesdays 06:00 – 21:00

Wednesdays 06:00 – 21:00

Thursdays 06:00 – 21:00

Fridays 06:00 – 21:00

Saturdays 06:00 – 21:00

Sundays 06:00 – 21:00 Note: India border immigration office is closed.

National Holidays Generally, 3 days during Dashain (Nepal national festival) and up to another 7 days / year at Government’s discretion. Note: Will open 24 / 7 for emergencies

Seasonal Constraints None Note: will operate outside normal hours for emergencies.

Daily Capacity

Maximum trucks: 400 / day Daily average: 250 / day Average Clearing time: 2½ hours / truck (30 minutes minimum) There is rarely a backlog. All trucks are cleared daily. It is an open border to Nepali / Indian foot traffic. Estimated volume is 3,000 passengers / day.

Customs Clearance

For information on Nepal customs, please see the following link: 1.3 Nepal Customs Information.

Other Relevant Information

90% of goods traffic is from India to Nepal.

Page 2 Easy access to both sides of the border (no bridges or other potential hazards). There is a single road for the first 20 kms on the India side before the 4-lane highway starts. This can lead to congestion. However, as this section of road is across a flat plain, it does not present major logistics issues in case of accidents or breakdowns as traffic may be diverted around a scene without too much trouble. India has plans to rectify this situation by extending the highway (unconfirmed)

Biratnagar Inland container Depot (ICD) is in proximity of the Border crossing, thus it is efficient process when it comes to flow of goods in and out of the country.

Truck parking capacity: 80 trucks Warehousing space: 30 x 40ft Container

For more information on government agency contact details, please see the following link: 4.1 Nepal Government Contact List.

Border point

Truck parking

Page 3 Warehouse storage

Page 4