BBIN grouping meeting in Delhi after 2 yrs gap; Bhutan to send representative

Feb 6, 2020

New Delhi:After a gap of almost two years, a Joint Working Group on the much expected sub-regional connectivity initiative –BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement(MVA) is meeting in Delhi on February 8 and 9.

The sub –regional grouping consists of Bhutan-Bangladesh –India and Nepal. Government sources confirmed that this time representative from the Bhutam Government would be attending the much awaited JWG meeting.

The meeting’s purpose is to finalise the BBIN MVA protocols, as the Passenger Vehicles Protocol and the Cargo Vehicles protocol under the agreement. India proposed a SAARC Motor Vehicle Agreement during the 18th SAARC Summit in Kathmandu in November 2014. Due to objections from Pakistan, an agreement could not be reached. India instead pursued a similar motor vehicle agreement with the BBIN. The BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA) was signed on 15 June 2015 at the BBIN transport ministers meeting in Thimpu, Bhutan.

The agreement will enter into force after it is ratified by all four member nations. The agreement has been ratified by Bangladesh, India and Nepal. The lower house of the Bhutanese parliament approved the agreement in early 2016, but it was rejected by the upper house in November 2016. In December 2018, Bhutanese Foreign Minister Tandi Dorji stated that the new government would reconsider the motor vehicle agreement noting that Bhutanese trucks were facing difficulties entering Bangladesh while trucks from India and Nepal were accorded easy access.

At the second Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between Bangladesh and Bhutan in Dhaka in March 2019, Bangladeshi Foreign Secretary M. Shahidul Haque stressed the importance of Bhutan ratifying the agreement calling it “crucial” for the future development of the region. India has already approved $1.08 Billion for construction and upgradation of 558 kilometres (347 mi) long roads that joiin Bangladesh,Bhutan and Nepal.

The project, which will receive 50% funding from the Asian Development Bank, was scheduled to be completed by 2018, but because of objections from Bhutan it could not progress as envisaged. It is estimated that this project will increase the regional trade by 60% while that with rest of the world by 30.%

Meanwhile India, Bangladesh and Nepal had gone ahead with the BBIN project as in April, 2018, a trial run of three nation bus service was undertaken .Officials of three nations were on board on 1100 km bus journey through Dhaka-Rangpur-Banglabandha-Siliguri-Kakkravatta(nepal) route and they were to give a feedback report. But at the last moment, Nepal backed out from the project. Now Indian officials are hopeful that Nepal representative would attend the meeting and apprise rest of the countries about their feedback.

After the three-nation trial run, no meeting of the JWG under BBIN could be held. The ambitious project of BBIN is facing road block as member nations are not very enthusiastic about connectivity among the participating nations in the present form. Officials are hoping that the New Delhi meeting will perhaps clear all the misconceptions about the project.

–India News Stream