BBIN motor vehicle deal likely to take effect in July
UNB, Dhaka
The motor vehicle agreement among Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal or BBIN is expected to come into effect in July next allowing its members to use each others’ roads to transport goods and passengers by paying fees.
Road Transport and Bridges Ministry Obaidul Quader and Indian High Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Shringla came up with the expectation at a meeting on Wednesday.
The Indian envoy met the minister at his secretariat office.
Briefing reporters about the outcome of the meeting, senior information officer Abu Naser said Quader and Shringla said though the earlier deadline was missed, the BBIN communication network will start in July this year.
Earlier, Quader had announced that the BBIN communication network would begin in January this year, but it got delayed as it required ratification of all the four member countries’ parliaments.
Nepal recently formed a new government, while Bhutan is yet to ratify their initial, but it is expected that the two countries will complete it by May this year, Naser said.
He also said a meeting of the high officials of the BBIN member countries will be held on March 29 or 30 here to discuss the issue.
Naser said the minister and the Indian envoy also elaborately discussed various issues relating to the construction of Ashuganj river port and Sarail-Akhaura land port.
They also agreed that the upgradation of the river port and land port will be expedited with support from the Letter of Credit (LoC) project between Bangladesh and India.
Besides, a bridge will be constructed over the trans-border Feni River, which flows through Ramgarh in Bangladesh and Sabroom in India.
The entire project is expected to be financed by the Bangladeshi government, the foundation of which was jointly laid by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
An additional LoC is being sought for BRTC to import 500 trucks and 600 buses, alongside new roller machines, wreckers and other machineries, Naser told reporters.