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Bangladesh slashed transit fee to please India, claims BNP -
bdnews24.com
Home > Politics > Bangladesh slashed transit fee to please India, claims BNP
Bangladesh slashed transit fee to please India, claims BNP
Senior Correspondent, bdnews24.com
Published: 2015-09-20 01:01:42.0 BdST Updated: 2015-09-20 01:01:42.0 BdST
BNP Spokesperson Asaduzzaman Ripon told reporters that the move was ‘hurting’ Dhaka’s interests while benefitting Delhi.
He said an inter-ministerial meeting on Wednesday ignored a NBR proposal to impose a fee of Tk 10,000 on containers India would ship to its states through Bangladesh.
“The NBR proposed to charge Tk 1,000 per tonne but they (the policymakers) brought it down to Tk 580,” he claimed.
Using Bangladesh’s land route would significantly reduce distance and save costs for India in transhipping goods to its north-eastern states.
“Bangladesh could have gained from the economic benefit India will enjoy [from here],” he said, adding, “We’re only demanding our just share.”
The government has been saying that both the countries would benefit from improved regional connectivity.
India’s mountainous north-east is surrounded by Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan and China. The only land route to these states from within India is through West Bengal.
But floods and landslides in monsoon make road transport difficult. Frequent strikes and blockade by various groups further aggravate the situation.
Agartala via Guwahati, for instance, is 1,650 km from Kolkata. The distance between Agartala and Kolkata via Bangladesh is just about 350 km.
Ripon said his party was in favour of strengthening economic ties with India but it opposed ‘lenient’ policy.
“We don’t believe India wants to be unilaterally benefitted by getting low transit fee,” he said. “This morally weak [Bangladesh] government has brought down the fee to Tk 580 to please India.”
bdnews24.com
Home > Politics > Bangladesh slashed transit fee to please India, claims BNP
Bangladesh slashed transit fee to please India, claims BNP
Senior Correspondent, bdnews24.com
Published: 2015-09-20 01:01:42.0 BdST Updated: 2015-09-20 01:01:42.0 BdST
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file photo
BNP Spokesperson Asaduzzaman Ripon told reporters that the move was ‘hurting’ Dhaka’s interests while benefitting Delhi.
He said an inter-ministerial meeting on Wednesday ignored a NBR proposal to impose a fee of Tk 10,000 on containers India would ship to its states through Bangladesh.
“The NBR proposed to charge Tk 1,000 per tonne but they (the policymakers) brought it down to Tk 580,” he claimed.
Using Bangladesh’s land route would significantly reduce distance and save costs for India in transhipping goods to its north-eastern states.
“Bangladesh could have gained from the economic benefit India will enjoy [from here],” he said, adding, “We’re only demanding our just share.”
The government has been saying that both the countries would benefit from improved regional connectivity.
India’s mountainous north-east is surrounded by Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan and China. The only land route to these states from within India is through West Bengal.
But floods and landslides in monsoon make road transport difficult. Frequent strikes and blockade by various groups further aggravate the situation.
Agartala via Guwahati, for instance, is 1,650 km from Kolkata. The distance between Agartala and Kolkata via Bangladesh is just about 350 km.
Ripon said his party was in favour of strengthening economic ties with India but it opposed ‘lenient’ policy.
“We don’t believe India wants to be unilaterally benefitted by getting low transit fee,” he said. “This morally weak [Bangladesh] government has brought down the fee to Tk 580 to please India.”
