Agreement facilitating transport service to enrich Indo-Bangla ties

New Delhi: The India-Bangladesh relationship is further expected to improve with the signing of three important agreements the coming week. The concurrence would allow India to use the Chittagong and Mongla ports for transportation of cargoes to the north-eastern states. Chittagong and Mongla ports are expected not to face any problems in handling Indian goods as their capacities have increased manifold in recent times.

In return, India proposed to allow the usage of Kolkata and Haldia port for transshipment of Bangladeshi garments to the South Asian nations. Bangladesh is yet to take a final call on the proposal. If signed, the agreement will enhance trade in the north-eastern states of India and is expected to boost the region's economy.

The details of the shipping deals will be decided at a secretary-level meeting expected to be held in New Delhi from October 24 to 26. A 14-member team from Bangladesh led by the Shipping Secretary, Abdus Samad, will fly to the Indian capital a day prior to the meeting. According to an official of the ministry, Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan may also join his Indian counterpart Nitin Gadkari for the deal-signing ceremony on October 24.

The agreement states that the usage of the two ports will be valid for five years and will be renewed automatically for another five years. Any of the two sides can cancel or suspend it with a notice period of six months. Both countries are expected to form committees in case any dispute emerges.

The accord also suggests that Indian goods can be transported through four entry points – Akhaura in Bangladesh and Agartala in India; Tamabil in Sylhet and Dauki in Meghalaya; Sheola in Sylhet and Sutarkandi in Assam; and Bibirbazar in Cumilla and Srimantapur in Tripura. Samad also stated that both the governments have to sign a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the deal to come into effect. The Bangladesh cabinet approved a draft agreement on the use of the two ports on September 17. The two countries had also signed a memorandum of understanding on the use of the two ports during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Dhaka in June 2015.

In the upcoming meeting, another agreement will be signed to allow passengers to travel across the two countries through cruise ships. The two neighbours will sign a separate SOP for introducing the cruise service, said a shipping ministry official. A MoU in this regard had also been signed during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's India visit in April last year.

Once the agreement for passenger cruise service is operational, tourists and passengers from Bangladesh will be able to travel to Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, and Chennai, while Indian tourists and passengers could use the new means of transport to Mongla, Dhaka, Chattogram and Cox's Bazar. The service is expected to be run by private companies, which will decide on the fares and other related issues.

Bangladesh officials also said that the SOP will determine the routes and the levies to be slapped by the two countries. Besides, another deal will be signed to bring changes to the existing Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWT&T) for determining a new port of call in each country.