The Bengal Chamber of Commerce today opened a branch in Siliguri in north Bengal to facilitate hassle-free export of goods to neighbouring countries.
As the city has emerged as a hub of trade and commerce, the new office will from now on issue the certificate of origin for export, which till now had to be obtained from the main office in Kolkata.
The travel to Kolkata to procure the certificate would often result in the delay of export of goods to countries like Nepal and Bhutan, Bengal Chambers of Commerce president Ambarish Dasgupta told the inaugural function attended by prominent local businessmen like K K Mittal of the PCM Group.
The lack of faster procurement of the certificate would often make the perishable goods like vegetables and fruits rot before being exported.
Dasgupta said that the new branch could also help sort out many other problems faced by businessmen and traders in the export of timber and tea, the two most important goods exported from Siliguri to neighbouring countries.
"Above all the new Siliguri office of the Bengal Chamber will help to establish Siliguri as a gateway for trade, commerce and industry in the eastern and north-eastern India and help business and industrial establishments in Siliguri make deeper inroads into mainstream industrial activity," Dasgupta said.
