Mamata to take up immigration clearance issue with Bangladesh PM

Railway minister Mamata Banerjee today said she would take up with Bangaldesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who is scheduled to visit India later this month, the issue of reducing the time taken for immigration clearance on both sides of the Indo-Bangladesh border.

"Hasina is coming possibly on December 19, when the issue of inordinate delay taken at land customs on both sides of the India-Bangladesh border will be taken up," Banerjee said, adding she had already spoken to finance minister Pranab Mukherjee about it.

Her statement came in the wake of complaints by passengers of the Kolkata-Dhaka train about excessive delay in immigration clearance both at Petrapole on Indian side and at Benapole in Bangladesh.

Banerjee was speaking at a function organised for laying the foundation of a new railway track between Bongaon, near here and Chandabazar which is close to India-Bangladesh border.