New Delhi, Oct. 14: Meghalaya has demanded the installation of a land custom station (LCS) at Kuliang, located in the coal belt of Jaintia Hills, to boost trade with Bangladesh.

“Other such stations in the state, particularly in Dawki and Borasara, have not been able to cope with the demand of exports from Bangladesh due to infrastructure problems. The station at Kuliang will, for the time being, lessen the burden on other stations,” Meghalaya minister of border area development R.L. Tariang said today.

A proposal to this effect has been forwarded to the Union commerce ministry.

The minister said Kuliang would prove to be an advantage not only for the state but also for Bangladesh because of its proximity to the national highway. If the LCS is installed, transporters will no longer need to go to Dawki and Karimganj in Assam.

“So there is no reason why Bangladesh should not approve of the scheme,” Tariang said, adding that the Union ministry had assured that the issue would be taken up with Bangladesh once a report is received from the state.

The minister said the biggest hurdle in the way of infrastructure development in the border areas was the state’s “land tenure system” that prevented easy acquisition of land for construction of roads.

But the station at Kuliang is proposed to be set up at the “no-man’s-land” near the border, subject to approval from the Bangladeshi authorities, where private individuals do not own land.

Shillong quake

An earthquake of mild intensity measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale rocked Meghalaya this evening, the seismological department in Shillong said, reports PTI.

There was no report of any loss of life or damage to property, an official said. The epicentre of the quake was located at latitude 24.90 degrees north and longitude 91.72 degree east along the Indo-Bangladesh border.