& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Transit fees to be fixed before March

Govt to allow India to use Ctg, Mongla ports

Staff Correspondent
Bangladesh will finalise the structures of transit fees to be charged from India before March next year, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said yesterday.
“Our target is to finalise the fees before March as the existing transit agreement will expire then,” the finance minister told journalists after a meeting with outgoing Indian High Commissioner Rajeet Mitter at his secretariatoffice.
He also said the steering committee on transit headed by him will sit next month. TYansit fees will befinalisedon the basis of consensus between the two countries.
Fixing the fees in the next few months will be most important, Muhith said without explaining.
The minister said a consensus now prevails in the country on maintaining good relations with India and providing transit facility to the big neighbour and countries in the region.
“BNP has also moved away from its earlier position,” he said. “Now the question remains about the fees and benefits of giving transit."
Muhith mentioned that said the government core committee has already identified routes for transit. The government, however, will decide which routes are to be allowed and which routes have scope for transportation of more goods.
Transit goods are being carried through Ashuganj on an experimental basis, he said.
Bangladesh has yet to provide formal road transit facilities to India, even though river transit has long been in operation between the two neighbours.
In recent weeks, Indian ships have used Ashuganj river port for transhipment of goods and equipment to Tripura.
The transhipment of Indian goods was a trial, the government said responding to concern that Dhaka is
already providing limited transit to New Delhi before a formal agreement is signed.
Muhith also said yesterday the government is considering an Indian request for limited use of Chittagong and Mongla sea ports to carry goods mainly to its northeastern states through Bangladesh territory.
Bangladesh has excess capacity in the two ports, and it can consider allowing India to use these ports, he said.
The finance minister further said he has told India to provide Bangladesh the figures on how much goods they want to transport using the two ports, and then Dhaka can consider providing the facilities.
Rajeet Mitter told journalists New Delhi has requested Dhaka for permission to use Chittagong and Mongla ports for transit. If the facilities are given, the people and businessmen of both the countries will be benefited.
Muhith also spoke about India's failure to sign a deal with Bangladesh on sharing the Teesta water during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's recent visit to Dhaka.
Bangladesh refused to sign any deal on providing road transit to India since the Teesta deal was not signed because of last-minute opposition from Paschimbanga Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Muhith said he can't give any deadline for the signing of the Teesta deal.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will soon visit Angorpota enclave, and two or three Indian ministers will also be there. Teesta agreement will also come up for discussion during the visit, the finance minister said.
He, however, said it would have been better if Mamata would come to Angorpota. But unfortunately she will not be there, he added.
Rajeet Mitter also could not provide any timeframe for theTeesta accord.