Dhaka allows transit for foodgrains for northeast India

Admin — Sun, 26 May 2013 05:17:16 +0000

Bangladesh will allow India ferry foodgrains for the mountainous northeastern states via its territory. “Initially, the Bangladesh government has agreed to transport 10,000 tonnes of foodgrains for Tripura through its territory,” Tripura Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bhanulal Saha told IANS in Agartala. “The Bangladesh government issued necessary orders earlier this week following a series of diplomatic and other parleys. After some security-related clearance, the carrying of food grains, mainly rice and wheat, is likely to start within a month,” he added.
B.K. Roy, principal secretary, food and civil supplies, said that after getting the green signal from Dhaka, FCI (the Food Corporation of India) had initiated the process to transport food grains and essentials using the Bangladeshi river port in eastern Bangladesh and the roadways connected to the northeastern states.
The FCI had earlier floated tenders to select the transporters. In the first consignment, 10,000 tonnes of rice, wheat and sugar would be ferried to Tripura from West Bengal’s Haldia port via the Ashuganj port.
“After Tripura, foodgrains would be ferried through Bangladesh for other northeastern states, including Mizoram, Manipur and southern Assam to save time and costs,” a FCI official said.
“Due to shortage of rail wagons, inadequate storage facilities and various other bottlenecks, the northeastern states have been suffering from poor supply of food grains for most part of the year, especially during the monsoon,” the minister said.
Surface connectivity is a key factor as the hilly region is surrounded by Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan and China, and the only land route to these states from within India is through Assam and West Bengal.
During the monsoon season (June to September), road transport becomes very difficult in the mountainous region due to floods and landslides. For ferrying essentials, goods and heavy machinery from abroad and other parts of the country, India has for long been asking Bangladesh land, sea and rail access to the northeast.
Agartala via Guwahati, for instance, is 1,650 km from Kolkata and 2,637 km from New Delhi. The distance between the Tripura capital and Kolkata via Bangladesh is just about 350 km.
Earlier, Dhaka had allowed state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) to transport over dimensional cargos (ODCs) for the 726 MW Palatana mega power project in southern Tripura using the Ashuganj port, 40 km west of Agartala city.
The FCI would carry the food grains in association with Inland Water Transport Authority (IWTA).
“Nepal and Bhutan are also interested in the transit and transhipment facilities to spur their external trade activities,” said a report. I

-With The Independent input

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Nepal to get access to Ctg, Mongla ports

Admin — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 20:12:40 +0000

Says Dipu Moni
Bangladesh is working towards providing Nepal with transit to access Chittagong and Mongla seaports, said Foreign Minister Dipu Moni yesterday.
She said this to Durga Prasad Bhattarai, visiting foreign secretary of Nepal, when he called on her at the foreign ministry in the capital.
Dipu Moni informed Bhattarai that Rohanpur-Singabad rail transit route is available to Nepal, adding that the standard operating procedure is operational, which allows Nepalese cargo trucks to enter 200 metres into the zero point of Bangladesh at Banglabandha land port in Panchagarh.
The foreign minister stressed the need for cooperation in managing water resources and hydropower for mutual benefits.
Dipu Moni invited Bhattarai to attend a meeting of joint working group that Bangladesh is going to host in September. She said Bangladesh attaches high importance to its relations with Nepal.
Bangladesh and Nepal on July 31 signed a Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral consultations between the foreign ministries of both.
Bhattarai thanked Bangladesh government for allowing Nepal to use Chittagong and Mongla ports. He said he is looking forward to holding the next round of foreign office consultations by the end of this year.

-With The Daily Star input

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Dhaka allows transit for foodgrains for northeast India

Nepal to get access to Ctg, Mongla ports