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Bangladesh-Myanmar Road Link

Team goes to Yangon next week for survey

Rafiq Hasan
A team of engineers will go to Myanmar next week to survey an area to construct a 30-kilometre long highway directly linking Dhaka toYangon.
The team will conduct a comprehensive survey to assess the cost and requirement for the highway from Guandung in Bangladesh to Buchidongin Myanmar.
The highway will be built as part of the Asian Highway traffic network among 38 Asian nations linking them to Europe via TYirkey, according to sources.
The Bangladesh team will submit a project proposal after the survey and the construction will start once the government approves the proposal, said a high official.
He said according to preliminary assessment Bangladesh will have to spend at least Tk 15 crore on building the road.
The decision to construct the road was taken as Bangladesh wants to have the road between Dhaka and Yangon via Teknaf in Cox's Bazarand Buchidong in Myanmar declared as the Asian Highway.
But a certain portion of the roads and culverts on the Myanmar side up to Buchidong needs development, the official added.
Following the reluctance ofYangon to develop the road on the stretch, Dhaka agreed to construct it at its own cost to set up the road network, according to sources in thecommunication ministry.
If the highway stretch is constructed, there will be no major interruption in the Dhaka-Yangon road link. It would also cut the distance at least by 500 kilometres from Bangkok to New Delhi, the official said.
The Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific (ESCAP), the coordinating body, will recognise the road as Asian Highway if the countries could develop it as per the specified standard and requirement, headded.
State Minister for Communication Salahuddin Ahmed told The Daily Star yesterday that the road would be built on a bilateral understanding. Later, it may be selected as the Asian Highway, hesaid.
According to sources, tire government had approached the donor agencies for funds for the highway project but the response was not positive. The donors are not interested in the affairs of Myanmar because of their lack of understanding with the ruling military junta there, they pointed out.
The government is also preparing a draft agreement to be signed between DhakaandYangoninthis regard.
India also provided assistance to Myanmar in building roads and bridges for connecting road network between New Delhi and Bangkok. Itisconstructing roads bypassing Bangladesh through Assam and Monipur following Bangladesh's reluctance in giving road transit and transhipment facilities to the next-door neighbour.
An agreement was also signed among India, Myanmarand Thailand two years ago to develop the road network in the region.
The communication ministry officials, however, do not feel such agreement is needed among Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand as the road network between Yangon and Bangkok already exists.
"Definitely, if such an agreement is signed, it would give extra momentum to establishing the road network among those countries but it's not 'urgent' as Yangon is already well connected with Thailand and China," said a high official in the planning division of the communication ministry. "We only need to reach Yangon by road," the official requesting anonymity added.
The recent foreign minister-level meeting of the BIMST-EC - -Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand- Economic Co-operation that also groups Nepal and Bhutan - also agreed to work to develop a trilateral highway linkage among Bangladesh, Myanmarand Thailand.
The next follow-up meeting of the Asian Highway is likely to be held at Bangkok in April.