B’desh Government has been maintaining that its infrastructure facilities are not strong enough to take the heavy load of goods.

INDIA has denied reports that Bangladesh Government has sent a proposal to open the international border for six months on an experimental basis even as it clarified that trade agreements with Bangladesh was not contingent on the neighbouring country allowing transit and transhipment rights to goods produced in North-East. Hard put to explain the continued presence of the ultras in Bangladesh and India’s failure to secure transit and transhipment rights, which would have benefited the North-Eastern states, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha tried to wriggle out by asserting that India has been regularly taking up these issues  with Dhaka. A discussion in the Rajya Sabha saw Opposition members taking the Government to task for not pressuring the Bangladesh Government to act against the militant outfits operating out of the country. Members quizzed the Government on why it has not tied up issues of trade concessions with that of ending the free run enjoyed by insurgents in the country. In his reply, Sinha said as far as issue of Indian insurgent groups operating out of Bangladesh was concerned it has been raised on every occasion by the Government of India. Bangladesh Government has reiterated that it will not allow Bangladesh territory to be used for anti-India activities. ‘We have been impressing up Government of Bangladesh not to allow its territory to be used for activities prejudicial to interest of India,’ was all the External Affairs Minister said. However, he declined to comment on the question whether Government proposed to link the trade issues with that of militancy. On securing transit and transhipment right, the External Affairs Minister divulged that trade agreements were not contingent on Bangladesh Government according these rights. ‘But we have been raising it since 1972, when Bangladesh Government agreed to allow movement of goods out of North-East through the country,” he added. Asserting that movement of goods over water was going on, he conceded that transit and transhipment rights of goods by railways and roads were yet to be clinched. Bangladesh Government has been maintaining that its infrastructure facilities are not strong enough to take the heavy load of goods, the Minister said.

Earlier, conceding that the Indo-Bangladesh trade has major imbalance, and pointing out that it had become a surcharged emotional issue in Bangladesh, he said India has suggested that free trade arrangement was the answer to remove the heavy trade imbalance. Claiming that Bangladesh Government has accepted India’s suggestion, he said the issue is slated for discussion in the trade negotiations that are scheduled to begin before the middle of October. The Government of Bangladesh has given a list of 108 items for free trade and India has taken note of the suggestion, he added. Dhaka-Agartala bus service okayed

The Bangladesh Government has given the go-ahead to the proposed Dhaka-Agartala bus service from this month to bring the people of the two neighbouring countries closer. Bangladesh Cabinet at its meeting chaired by Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, approved the launching of the bus service last night on the lines of the Kolkata-Dhaka bus service, operational since June, 1999. Foreign Minister M. Morshed Khan said the Bangladesh Cabinet gave its final approval and the bus service was expected to start any day. Mr Khan said that the approval was in keeping with the Indo-Bangladesh Joint Economic Commission meeting held in Dhaka on July 14 and 15, wherein it was decided to extend the bus service.

The road transport authorities of Bangladesh and the Tripura Government would sign an instrument of agreement, detailing various matters, including the date of operation, number of buses to be plied, ticket fare and places of stoppage, Bangladesh Communications Minister Nazmul Huda said.

During a recent visit to Delhi, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar expressed hope that the bus service would start from September next.

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