Dhaka: The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the eight-nation regional economic grouping which started its journey 30 years ago but failed to make much headway, has taken a big and positive step in promoting intra-regional travel.
Four members of Saarc comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are close to signing a deal allowing cross-border movement of motor vehicles. The four countries are Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Bhutan.
The positive move will allow movement of vehicles through their borders just like in European countries. The deal will also allow vehicles to ply on designated routes within the four member countries. The countries have drawn up a draft plan for transit of passengers, cargo and personal vehicles.
The move, apart from boosting trade and tourism, will also enhance people-to-people contact and enrich knowledge of cultural heritage of the countries. It also will reduce cost and time of unloading and loading of people and goods at border points, making cross border trade more efficient.
The sub-regional move is an initiative parallel to the proposed SAARC Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA) and will be open to other neighbouring countries.
India, Bhutan and Nepal have accepted a Bangladeshi recommendation to keep the membership of the sub-regional group open so that neighbouring countries like Myanmar and China can connect to the region if they wish.
Bangladesh is making desperate efforts to link China through road communications through Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, via Myanmar. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, during her visit to China last year, also proposed connectivity through road via Kunming to boost exports and imports between the two countries.
Transport officials of the countries had a meeting in Kolkata Feb 2-3 to finalise the draft MVA. A transport ministers' meeting is likely to be held in May or June to approve the proposed deal. The agreement will help transform transport corridors linking the four countries into economic corridors and increase people-to-people contact.
The initiative of the four nations is clearly in pursuance of an agenda of economic development and connectivity against the backdrop of the inability of Saarc to take pro-active measures.
Political observers here said the draft agreement was smarter than the proposed Saarc transport agreement. The deal will allow the member countries to bilaterally fix the fees, administrative costs and service charges among others.
The countries will also decide on traffic volume through mutual negotiations and only authorized operators will be allowed to carry passengers and cargo.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing financial, technical and administrative backing to implement the MVA.
A national committee in each country will coordinate and monitor the agreement and a sub-regional joint committee is going to look after the process to make land transport easier and coordinate and monitor the agreement implementation.
The agreement will not hamper the proposed Saarc MVA. The Saarc effort is moving slowly because of delays on the part of some member countries.
Meanwhile, the four countries have also formed a group named BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal), which at a meeting in New Delhi last month agreed to make joint efforts to explore harnessing of water resources, including generation of hydroelectricity, and alternative energy sources.
(Ershadul Huq can be contacted at ershad.bss@gmail.com)
Comments
| Quick linksNews
National
International
Regional
Politics
Education & Career
Business
Science & Technology
Health
Views & Analysis
The Funny Side
© 2012 Awaz Multimedia & Publications. All rights reserved.
65-year long battle for right to Muslim endowment land finally hits streets, decision taken after BJP-led state government allotted Muslim Wakf land to National Law University
Taking to the streets the 65-year long battle for the right to own the Ismail Yusuf College and adjoining land in Mumbai's Jogeshwari area .... More
Also Read: Fights for Rights: Ismail Yusuf College and Indu Mill Compound
Chief Minister Fadnavis's assurance fails to end deadlock, vegetable prices soar
Maharashtra beef suppliers, who are on strike since February 11 in Mumbai and February 10 in other places of Maharashtra, have vowed to continue their protest if a clearer policy is not announced ....... More
The next day, petty traders who routinely paid policemen bribes every morning while moving their home manufactured goods from Sangam Vihar in south Delhi were surprised that no one sought . . ... More
Excerpted from "Qur'anic Paradigms of Sciences and Society" Volume 1: Dynamic Paradigm of Health
At that time, my suggestion was laughed off. Now even the WHO has recognised it as an important part in the strategy to combat AIDS. With the advance of Sexual Revolution it can be expected that newer infections will continue to haunt humans; and .... More
A daily piece on the present assembly will inevitably bring Messrs Jagdish Pradhan (Mustafabad), Om Prakash Sharma (Biswas Nagar) and Vijendra Gupta (Rohini) into disproportionate focus. In parliamentary systems, the opposition provides the flavour. .... More
The first king to make circumambulation around the Ka'bah without security, he left US president Obama alone to offer Asr prayers
King Salman bin Abdulaziz, who is known for his contributions made to memorization of the Holy Quran, intonation and recitation, memorized the entire Quran while he was only . ... More
Also Read: King Salman leaves Obama alone to offer Asr prayers
But since sweeping to power last year with the biggest national election victory in three decades, Modi and his BJP have generated "an aura of invincibility" winning a succession of other state elections... More
Also Read: Delhi results repudiation of BJP's 'polarising' politics: Pakistan daily