UNB, Dhaka :
The Cabinet on Monday approved the draft of the ‘Motor Vehicles Agreement for the Regulation of Passenger, Personal, and Cargo Vehicular Traffic with Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal’ (BBIN) aiming to boost road connectivity in the region.
The approval came from the regular weekly meeting of the Cabinet held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said this framework agreement is likely to be signed during the Transport Ministers meeting of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal on June 15 next in Bhutan.
Answering to a question, he said another protocol will have to be signed before the agreement comes into effect after signing of this framework agreement.
He said, since all the four countries have agreed to strike this deal, the signing of the related protocol would not take that much time.
The Cabinet Secretary told another questioner that for vehicular movement among the four countries valid travel documents would be required alongside fees which would be determined by that traveling country.
In that case, he said, if a vehicle travels from Nepal to Bangladesh over India, then fees would have to be provided to both Indian and Bangladesh point for further movement.
The Cabinet Secretary said, the initiative was there to sign the agreement during the last Saarc Summit held in Kathmandu last year, but that could not be signed since one country could not complete the internal process.
Before finalisation of the agreement, he said, transport secretaries and other officials concerned of these four countries met in Kolkata and in Chennai of India for making further advancement on the agreement.
Musharraf Hossain said the draft agreement has kept a scope for inclusion of any country subject to the consent of these four countries.
Besides, under the agreement, the vehicles concerned would need to take permits, no vehicle could take passenger and carry goods midway in any country, the authorized officials of the traveling country could search the vehicles, the vehicles would have to have insurances, abide by the prohibited and restricted list of the traveling country.
The Cabinet Secretary said the relevant countries could review the agreement after every three years or before, even could withdraw from the agreement giving a six months’ notice.
He said, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina earlier had shown keen interest and taken initiative for the finalization of this agreement since she had been advocating for long to boost the connectivity and cooperation among Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal.
The Cabinet also approved the draft of the Navy (Amendment) Bill, 2015 subject to the vetting of the Law Ministry aimed at integrating all issues of three earlier amendments of the Navy Ordinance 1961.
The Cabinet on Monday approved the draft of the ‘Motor Vehicles Agreement for the Regulation of Passenger, Personal, and Cargo Vehicular Traffic with Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal’ (BBIN) aiming to boost road connectivity in the region.
The approval came from the regular weekly meeting of the Cabinet held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said this framework agreement is likely to be signed during the Transport Ministers meeting of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal on June 15 next in Bhutan.
Answering to a question, he said another protocol will have to be signed before the agreement comes into effect after signing of this framework agreement.
He said, since all the four countries have agreed to strike this deal, the signing of the related protocol would not take that much time.
The Cabinet Secretary told another questioner that for vehicular movement among the four countries valid travel documents would be required alongside fees which would be determined by that traveling country.
In that case, he said, if a vehicle travels from Nepal to Bangladesh over India, then fees would have to be provided to both Indian and Bangladesh point for further movement.
The Cabinet Secretary said, the initiative was there to sign the agreement during the last Saarc Summit held in Kathmandu last year, but that could not be signed since one country could not complete the internal process.
Before finalisation of the agreement, he said, transport secretaries and other officials concerned of these four countries met in Kolkata and in Chennai of India for making further advancement on the agreement.
Musharraf Hossain said the draft agreement has kept a scope for inclusion of any country subject to the consent of these four countries.
Besides, under the agreement, the vehicles concerned would need to take permits, no vehicle could take passenger and carry goods midway in any country, the authorized officials of the traveling country could search the vehicles, the vehicles would have to have insurances, abide by the prohibited and restricted list of the traveling country.
The Cabinet Secretary said the relevant countries could review the agreement after every three years or before, even could withdraw from the agreement giving a six months’ notice.
He said, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina earlier had shown keen interest and taken initiative for the finalization of this agreement since she had been advocating for long to boost the connectivity and cooperation among Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal.
The Cabinet also approved the draft of the Navy (Amendment) Bill, 2015 subject to the vetting of the Law Ministry aimed at integrating all issues of three earlier amendments of the Navy Ordinance 1961.
