The signing of protocols for movement of passenger, personal and cargo vehicles in the four countries—Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN)—will be further delayed because of non-ratification of the Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) by the parliament of Bhutan, sources in the Road Transport and Highways Division informed. The Bhutanese Government assured authorities of the other BBIN countries that they would try to ratify the MVA during their parliament session in May this year, the sources added.
In this context, the Indian authorities want to sign two protocols — the Protocol for Movement of Regular, Non-regular and Personal Vehicles for Implementation of the BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA), and the Protocol for Movement of Cargo Vehicles for Implementation of the BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) without Bhutan, according to the sources.
A two-day meeting, beginning today at the Westin Hotel in the city, will decide on whether to go ahead without Bhutan to sign the two protocols and finalise the draft. Delegations from the BBIN countries, headed by a Joint Secretary-level official of each country from the Roads and Highways Ministries, reached Dhaka yesterday to attend the meeting.
Joint Secretary of Road Transport and Highways Division Md. Abdul Malek, who will lead the Bangladesh delegation, told The Independent that they will discuss the two draft protocols. “After finalising the draft protocols, they will be signed to facilitate movement of passengers, personal and cargo vehicles in the respective countries,” he said.
Bangladesh’s Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader mentioned that attempts were made in December last year to sign a protocol between the countries for movement of passenger and personal vehicles, so as to highlight the sub-regional connectivity and the scope and opportunities for greater people-to-people contact and trade under the BBIN initiative.
Earlier, a BBIN MVA for regulation of passenger, personal and cargo vehicular traffic between the four countries was signed at the BBIN Transport Ministers’ meeting on June 15 last year in Thimphu.
The proposed routes for passenger transportation would be Kolkata (India)-Petrapole/Benapole-Jessore-Dhaka-Chittagong, Chittagong-Dhaka-Hatikumrul-Bogra-Rangpur-
Burimari/ Chengrabandha (India)- Siliguri (India); Dhaka-Hatikumrul-Bogra-Rangpur-Burimari/ Chengrabandha (India)-Jaigaon (India)/ Phuentsholing (Bhutan)-Thimphu (Bhutan); Dhaka-Hatikumrul-Bogra-Rangpur-Banglabandha/Phulbari (India)-Panitanki (India)/ Kakarvita (Nepal)-Kathmundu (Nepal); Kolkata-Dhaka-Sarail-Sylhet-Tamabil/ Dawki (India)-Shillong-Guwahati (India)-Samdrup Jhonkar (Bhutan); and Khulna-Jessore-Benapole/ Petrapole (India)-Kolkata (India).