Serial blasts rock Bangla   
Conveying its serious concern over the serial blasts in Bangladesh, India has offered help to Bangla to curb terror.

North East News Agency

Conveying its serious concern over the serial blasts in Bangladesh, India has offered “any kind of assistance” while asking Dhaka to identify the perpetrators of the terror acts. “A stable, prosperous, secular and democratic Bangladesh is not just in the interests of the people of Bangladesh, but also of India and the region as a whole,” External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna told reporters in New Delhi.

“We urged the Government of Bangladesh to identify the perpetrators of these terrorist acts and offered any kind of assistance,” he said. Sarna said reports relating to an unprecedented 459 blasts in 63 of the 64 districts in Bangladesh in a short space of 30 minutes continued to come in.

Two persons were killed and about 150 injured in the blasts that simultaneously rocked cities and towns of Bangladesh recently. The spokesman said leaflets have been found at the site of each of the blasts authored by a fundamentalist outfit, the Jama’atul Mujahedin Bangladesh, that was banned just six months back.

The militant group had demanded the establishment of an Islamic State in Bangladesh and condemned democracy, the judiciary and the electoral system as un-Islamic.

Meanwhile, Concern was expressed in the Lok Sabha too over the series of bomb blasts that rocked Bangladesh with CPI member Gurudas Dasgupta seeking adequate security along Indo-Bangladesh border to check infiltration of fundamentalist elements into India.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, he said emergence of “fundamentalist terrorism” in Bangladesh was a matter of grave concern for India which shares a long border with it. Several other members supported the contention of the CPI member.

On the other hand, alarmed by the explosions across Bangladesh, West Bengal government held talks with the Centre and apprised it of measures being taken for stepping up vigil particularly in the border districts.

“We held talks with the Union Home Ministry. The Centre is satisfied with the measures taken,” state Home Secretary Prasad Ranjan Ray informed.

An alert has also been sounded along Tripura’s 856-km-long international border with Bangladesh in view of the serial blasts, Inspector General of BSF S. K. Dutta said.

“An alert was in force on Tripura border since Independence Day so that no Indian insurgents could enter into Indian territory from Bangladesh where they have their base camps but a fresh alert was sounded in view of the serial blasts there,” Dutta informed 

He said no Bangladeshi infiltrator has been rounded up in the border since the blasts but we have stepped up our vigil and would hand over to Bangladesh Rifles if any Bangladeshi is apprehanded.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar also expressed his concern about the blasts in the neighbouring country. “It is a matter of concern when series of bomb blast take place in the neighbouring country and I hope that the government, with the help of secular and progressive forces, would overcome the problem”, the Chief Minister said.

It may be mentioned here that India had taken up with Bangladesh Government the issue of existence of militant camps in the country. External Affairs Minister, Natwar Singh during his recent visit raised the issue of illegal immigration and presence of militant camps.

Strengthening the bond

Union Cabinet has approved an assistance package of Rs.1984 crore to IX Plan of Bhutan for the period July 2002 to June 2007.

North East News Agency

IN order to promote greater air connectivity between India and Bhutan and facilitate more people   to people contact between the two nations, the traffic entitlements for the designated airlines of both the countries have been increased significantly from the existing     level of 12 frequencies per week  with a cap of 1020 seats to 49 frequencies per week without any limitation on seats.

In addition to the destinations of Delhi, Kolkata and Gaya, to which the Bhutanese airline Druk Air already had landing rights, it can now also operate to Mumbai, Chennai and Guwahati. They are now entitled to 7 flights a week to all these points of call, while they can operate 14 flights a week to Gaya. At present, Druk Air is operating three services a week to Delhi (via Kathmandu) and five services to Kolkata (with onward rights to Bangkok). Presently it has no operations to Gaya. No Indian carrier is operating to Bhutan.

This enhancement in services was agreed upon during a bilateral air services meeting between delegations representing the Government of India and the Royal Government of Bhutan held at Thimphu. The Indian delegation was led by Raghu Menon, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation along with representatives from Ministry of External Affairs, Director General of Civil Aviation and Indian Airlines.

In addition to the existing 5th freedom rights to Bangkok (over Kolkata) and Kathmandu (as an intermediate point to Delhi), the Bhutanese carrier has been permitted 5th freedom rights to the beyond points of Singapore and Dhaka over Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, subject to a cap of 14 flights a week on 5th freedom operations to beyond points. They have also been permitted 5th freedom rights over Gaya to Bangkok and Yangon and over Guwahati to Bangkok.

On the request of the Bhutanese side, it was also decided in the meeting that a team of Indian experts would visit Bhutan later this year to conduct a feasibility study and drawing up a master plan for setting up a new international airport at Gelephu in Southern Bhutan.

The Union Cabinet has also approved an assistance package of Rs.1984 crore to IX Plan of Bhutan for the period July 2002 to June 2007. It comprises development subsidy of Rs.710 crore, project tied assistance of Rs.734 crore and other subsidies and refunds of Rs.540 crore. The package would be funded from the non-Plan budget of the Ministry of External Affairs.The decision will tead to: (i)      continued strengthening of India — Bhutan relations based on our strategic and economic interests in an area of high geo-political sensitivity; (ii) generation of opportunities for Indian companies to participate in these major  projects and (iii) strengthen goodwill for India in Bhutan by fulfilling existing commitments.

Economic cooperation with Bhutan has been the corner stone of the multi-faceted and mutually beneficial relations between india and Bhutan. Economic cooperation, particularly in the hydropower sector represents a win-win situation for both countries with India receiving an assured supply of cheap and clean energy and Bhutan receiving a significant revenue stream. The 336 MW Chukha and 60 MW Kurichhu projects which have already come on stream and 1020 MW Tala project nearing completion are symbols of India-Bhutan friendship and cooperation. Besides the tangible benefits, our economic cooperation also translates into tremendous goodwill in Bhutar. for the people and Government of India. The cooperation has also paid rich dividends by way of guarding our strategic and security interests as demonstrated by the successful operations undertaken by Royal Bhutan Army to flush out the Indian insurgent groups based in Bhutan in December 2003.

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