A railway link will be installed between Akhaura in Bangladesh and India for smooth transit and transhipment of goods to the northeastern Indian states. The Indian government will provide all necessary logistical support to Bangladesh for infrastructure development, including construction of an inland container terminal (ICT) in Ashuganj. Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, said this at the inaugural programme of the transit and transhipment of goods to India’s northeastern states through Bangladesh at the Ashuganj river port yesterday Shipping minister Shajahan Khan formally inaugurated the transit and transhipment according to the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT) agreement.
The Prime Minister’s adviser, Mashiur Rahman, local MPs RAM Ubaidul
Muktadir Chowdhury and Ziaul Haque Mridha, NBR chairman Nazibur Rahman, shipping secretary Ashok Madhab Roy and chairman of BIWTA Commodore M Mozammel Huq also spoke on the occasion. Terming the inaugural ceremony as a “historic moment” both for Bangladesh and India, the Indian high commissioner said, “I want to thank the people of Bangladesh and the government for giving us access into Bangladesh for transit and transhipment of Indian goods to our northeastern states via Ashuganj.”
Shringla also said that Bangladesh and the Indian state of Tripura have historical and emotional ties. “The people of Tripura will benefit through this transit and transhipment facility. Besides, the Indian government will provide financial assistance to build an ICT at Ashuganj, including the development of roads and a railway link to Akhaura,” the Indian envoy added.
Bangladesh will financially benefit from this transit and transhipment, Shajahan Khan said after inaugurating the programme. “Bangladeshi cargo ships will carry the maximum Indian goods for transhipment. So, it would help create employment and bring revenue to the country,” he observed.
The ruling Awami League had always maintained a friendship with India, the PM’s economic adviser Mashiur Rahman said. “The other political parties don’t want a good relationship with India. India has always paid a fixed amount for the development of waterways annually,” he added. It is important to open new routes to increase trade by developing smooth communication, he emphasised. “A golden door for possible revenue-earning has opened today because of the transit and transhipment,” said NBR chairman Najibur Rahman.
In all, 900km-long waterways would be dredged to keep its navigable depth at 8 metres round the year, said Ashok Madhab Roy. “We will dredge the waterways in Dhaka, Chittagong, and Ashuganj to transport goods smoothly along protocol routes,” the shipping secretary added. A Bangladeshi ship carrying 1,000 tonnes of iron rods reached Ashuganj on Wednesday, which will be transported to the northeastern Indian state of Tripura.
According to the BIWTA, the government has fixed a transhipment fee of Tk. 192.25 per tonne. Of the fee, BIWTA will get Tk. 10 per tonne, roads and highways Tk. 52.22, and the remaining will go to NBR the fund as revenue, sources said. The government had signed the PIWTT between Bangladesh and India on November 1, 1972.