ISLAMABAD: The government aims to establish state-of-the-art facilities at Wagah, Torkham and Chaman border crossing points under the Integrated Transit Trade Management Systems (ITTMS) project, official sources said on Tuesday.

The ITTMS project was approved by the Executive Committee of National Economic Council in September 2015 and is being executed under the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation-Regional Improving Border Services (Carec-Ribs).

The government will spend Rs255.38 million during the current fiscal year for ITTMS which will be run under the Asian Development Bank’s Ribs Project with foreign assistance of Rs155.38m.

The total cost of the project has been estimated at Rs31.6bn, including a foreign assistance component of Rs26bn.

The project will help upgrade the infrastructure at the border crossing points in the context of Carec Corridor and allow for modern supply chain to support trade. The project also includes development of one-window ICT based systems and procedures.

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is the executing agency and a project management unit has been established within the board to act as project owner. FBR has been providing guidance and oversight to the overall implementation and performance of the project.

All cargo movement to and from Karachi – going upcountry for internal consumption within the country or for transit movement destined to exit from Chamman, Torkham and Wagah – would be processed and routed through an integrated system to reduce dwell time for cargo clearance and onward dispatch.

The project aims to ensure proper exit of outbound cargo, keep check on the backward flow of goods, decrease incidence of smuggling by keeping a strict check on passengers’ baggage, allow for one-window operations at country and regional level and pave the way for introduction of Authorised Economic Operators.

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2017