The Indian company Pristine Mega Logistics Park Pvt Ltd has been given the responsibility of managing and operating Sirsia Dry Port (Inland Container Depot) at Birganj for the next 5 years. Ashish Gajurel, executive director of Nepal Intermodal Transport Development Committee, said that Pristine Mega Logistics Park Pvt Ltd has been selected for the operation of the port at a cost of Rs 4.71 billion.

Only Container Corporation of India Limited (Konkar) and Pristine Mega Logistics Park Pvt Ltd were selected in the technical evaluation of bids called for the management and operation of the dry port. When the tender was opened last Tuesday, Konkar bid about 20 million rupees less than Pristine, i.e. 4.5 billion 9 million rupees. After the completion of the

agreement, Pristin will take over the responsibility of port management for five years from next July. Currently, the same company is managing and operating the dry port for five years in a joint venture with the Nepali company Valley at a cost of 3.33 billion. Pristin alone competed for the second term.

Pristin may later partner with a Nepali company. Even five years ago, there was a fierce competition between Konkar and Pristine in dry port operations. Before that, the operation of the port was done by Himalayan Terminals Pvt Ltd for two terms i.e. a decade, in which Konkar was the main partner. Konkar is a sister organization of Indian Railways.

Gajurel said that in the law of Intermodal Transport Development Committee, there is a provision to give the responsibility of port operation and management to the private sector through a competitive system. "This is the trend worldwide," he said, "the same style has been adopted in the neighboring countries of India and European countries and it is also successful." Gajurel says that the private sector will provide effective services at the port and the Nepal government will also receive a large amount of money through

competition. "In the past, the port contract cost less than one billion for 5 years, but now it has started costing around 5 billion," he said. This port, which is connected to the railway network of India, is used by Nepali importers and exporters to import and export goods to third countries. Comparatively, this port is preferred by importers and exporters because it is cheaper and more reliable when transporting goods by rail.