KOLKATA-AGARTALA BUS SERVICE THRU BANGLADESH Cabinet clears signing deals with India

The cabinet on Monday approved the signing of an agreement with India for ‘the regulation of motor vehicle passenger traffic’ between the two countries and a protocol on operation of passenger bus service between Kolkata and Agartala via Dhaka.
The road transport and highways division placed the draft agreements in the weekly cabinet meeting chaired by prime minister Sheikh Hasina at the secretariat.
Another protocol on operation of passenger bus service between Dhaka and Guwahati in Assam via Sylhet and Shillong was also endorsed by the cabinet.
Besides, the cabinet approved singing an agreement  between the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution and the Bureau of Indian Standards on cooperation in the field of standardisation and conformity assessment, cabinet secretary Muhammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told a press briefing after the meeting.
He said all the agreements and the protocols would be signed between Bangladesh and India during Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Dhaka on June 6-7.
Asked if India would require paying any charges for operating bus services between Kolkata and Agartala through the Bangladesh territory, he said neither the agreement nor the protocol envisaged imposition of any charges for the bus services that would significantly reduce the distance between Kolkata and Agartala by road.
The cabinet secretary said the transit passengers would require valid passport with multiple visa for travel from Kolkata to Agartala through Bangladesh.
This would increase connectivity and trade between the two neighbours and therefore both the countries would be equally benefited from the deals, Musharraf said.
The cabinet also gave the final approval to the draft of Bangladesh Economic Zones (Amendment) Bill, 2015 incorporating provisions for establishing economic zones on the basis of the government to government contract.
The government would be able to set up economic zones in partnership with the government of any foreign country after making the amendments to the law, he said.
The Bangladesh Economic Zones law of 2010 allows four types of economic zones— government-owned, private, public-private partnership and specialised economic zones.
The present law does not allow setting up any economic zones in the areas under the jurisdictions of city corporations, municipalities and the cantonment boards. The amendment proposes relaxing the provision in case of establishing information and communication technology industry.
The cabinet also endorsed a draft of the National Social Security Strategy of Bangladesh to bring all the vulnerable citizens of the country under the government safety-net programmes.
At least 23 ministries are implementing 145 safety-net programmes for the vulnerable section that included the poor and the disabled people. The government spends 2.3 per cent of the gross domestic product for the safety-net programmes, the cabinet secretary added.
The cabinet on May 4 endorsed signing the ‘Coastal Shipping Agreement’ with India to allow transportation of goods by river and sea cargo vessels along the Bay between the two countries.
The Coastal Shipping Agreement is also expected to be signed during Modi’s visit to Dhaka, according to officials.
The cabinet on May 18 okayed draft amendments to the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade between Bangladesh and India incorporating a provision that ‘third countries’ like Nepal and Bhutan could be included in the communication system for transshipment of goods.

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