Maira La
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- Mar 5, 2010
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Transit deal next month
Staff Correspondent, The Daily Star
Although the framework agreement for transit will be signed during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Dhaka visit next month, opening up the routes will take time, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said yesterday.
“It requires further talks between India, Nepal and Bhutan,” he told reporters at his secretariat office after a meeting with Ukrainian Agrarian Policy and Food Minister Mykola Prysyazhnyuk.
Muhith said there might be up to 16 routes but transit through all of them will not start at a time.
Asked about transit fees, he said the matter will be settled during Manmohan's visit scheduled for September 6-7.
“I don't think we'll be able to fix the rate before his visit,” Muhith said.
The fees will be settled based on the recommendations of the government committee on transit fees, he added.
The government will make the committee reports public. Completion of the reports is unlikely before the Indian prime minister's visit.
Nepal recently took transit facility from Bangladesh.
On this, the finance minister said it has been given on an ad hoc basis following an understanding between the two countries.
On July 16, two Indian trains left Rohanpur of Chapainawabganj for Nepal with 2,389 tonnes of fertiliser.
This was for the first time Bangladesh allowed Nepal to use its land, river and rail routes in line with a decision taken by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh last year.
Asked what benefit Bangladesh got from this, Muhith said, “Maybe we have got some money here. But I do not know the exact amount.”
He also termed the criticism against transit “nonsense” and without “merit”.
- http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=199129
Staff Correspondent, The Daily Star
Although the framework agreement for transit will be signed during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Dhaka visit next month, opening up the routes will take time, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said yesterday.
“It requires further talks between India, Nepal and Bhutan,” he told reporters at his secretariat office after a meeting with Ukrainian Agrarian Policy and Food Minister Mykola Prysyazhnyuk.
Muhith said there might be up to 16 routes but transit through all of them will not start at a time.
Asked about transit fees, he said the matter will be settled during Manmohan's visit scheduled for September 6-7.
“I don't think we'll be able to fix the rate before his visit,” Muhith said.
The fees will be settled based on the recommendations of the government committee on transit fees, he added.
The government will make the committee reports public. Completion of the reports is unlikely before the Indian prime minister's visit.
Nepal recently took transit facility from Bangladesh.
On this, the finance minister said it has been given on an ad hoc basis following an understanding between the two countries.
On July 16, two Indian trains left Rohanpur of Chapainawabganj for Nepal with 2,389 tonnes of fertiliser.
This was for the first time Bangladesh allowed Nepal to use its land, river and rail routes in line with a decision taken by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh last year.
Asked what benefit Bangladesh got from this, Muhith said, “Maybe we have got some money here. But I do not know the exact amount.”
He also termed the criticism against transit “nonsense” and without “merit”.
- http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=199129
Yeah, I have seen enough 
