Two Indian firms – Container Corporation of India and HIND Terminal, India –are vying for the management contract of Inland Clearance Depot (ICD) in Sirsiya of Birgunj.

Though, some three companies had bid for the contract, Nepal Intermodal Transport Development Board will go through technical evaluation of the two firms, as the third one did not meet the technical criterian required.

According to the board, a potential bidder for the management contract should have a minimum experience of five years in handling warehouses, transport clearing, should have three years’ experience in port management or handling freight station terminals.

“Interested firms should also have an annual turnover of Rs 200 million and liquid assets of Rs 100 million,” the bid document said, adding that the selected company must work with a Nepali company in joint venture for the next five years.

As the board’s contract with the current lessee Himalayan Terminal – a  Nepal-India joint venture terminal management company – ends by July 28, it had invited proposals – from interested companies – to operate and manage the ICD.

The 10-year lease term of the current lessee Himalayan Terminal comes to an end on July 28. Himalayan Terminal bagged the ICD operation in 2004 for 10-year.

Constructed in 2000 with World Bank’s assistance, the Sirsiya ICD is Nepal’s first rail-linked terminal that caters to bilateral cargo to and from India besides third country imports and exports.

According to the board’s executive director Sarad Bikram Rana, the government has been receiving a minimum rental of Rs 75 million annually from the ICD.

However, the government received Rs 9 million extra revenue last year according to revenue sharing model, he added.

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