ICC delegation meets Bangladesh PM
Daka, June 1: A high-profile INDIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (ICC) Delegation met Ms Sheikh Hasina, Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bangladesh in Dhaka on the 31st of May. The Indian Chamber Delegation included Dr Mukul Sangma, Chief Minister of Meghalaya ; Mr. Nabam Tuki, Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh ; Mr. Jitendra Chaudhury, Industry Minister of Tripura ; Mr. Gautam Roy, Public Health Engineering Minister of Assam ; Mr. Pankaj Saran, High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh ; Mr. M K Saharia, Chairman, ICC-NER ; Mr Abdul Matlub Ahmad, President, Indo-Bangla Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IBCCI) ; Dr. Rajeev Singh, Director General, ICC and many other senior State Government representatives from Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Tripura and Assam.
The Delegation raised crucial issues related to India-Bangladesh bilateral relations, like transit facilities for North-Eastern States through Bangladesh, appropriate infrastructure for facilitating access for Indian Exporters to Chittagong Port including missing rail and road links, etc. Dr. Mukul Sangma stressed on the need for opening up more ‘Border Haats’ to boost socio-cultural bonding between the two neighbours, and thanked the Bangladesh PM for taking initiatives like opening of two such ‘Haats’ along the Bangladesh-Meghalaya border. Dr. Sangma also said that bamboo resources of North-Eastern states can be effectively utilized by Bangladesh as an alternative to timber and timber products. Dr Sangma mentioned that the Dhaka – Sylhet – Shillong – Guwahati Bus Service project needs to be expedited as it would go a long way to develop Tourism in the region.
Arunachal Pradesh CM Nabam Tuki said Bangladesh can actively engage with the State in Hydro-power projects and the power supply from such projects can play a key role in meeting the power deficit in Bangladesh. Ms Sheikh Hasina agreed to even bring in equity for the hydro projects in Arunachal Pradesh. Industry Minister of Tripura Mr. Jitendra Chaudhury requested for speedy implementation of transit infrastructure facilities for Indian traders at Ashuganj port and bus services between Tripura and Bangladesh. Enabling connectivity & transport infrastructure projects can strengthen bilateral economic cooperation and Tripura can play an instrumental role in the process, he felt. The Delegation also thanked the Bangladesh PM for tirelessly supporting the peace process in the North-East region. The proposed road connectivity between Dhubri and Bangladesh through the southern slopes of Meghalaya and Tripura would significantly improve trade & commerce between the two countries, and the North-East would stand to gain tremendously, it was felt in the meeting.
Mr. M.K. Saharia, Chairman of ICC’s North-East Initiative, emphasized on improvement of border trade infrastructure especially with the state of West Bengal. Land Custom Stations (LCS s) at Petrapol and Benapol handle 80% of the trade between two nations but there are issues like long waiting time, inadequate amenities and procedural delays for the exporters as well as for the trucks carrying materials. Mr. Saharia highlighted the need to convert these existing Land Custom Stations into state-of-the-art facilities on priority basis, and advocated the upgradation of other LCS s along the same lines for facilitating border trade. The Hon’ble PM also stressed that India needs to push the mutually agreed projects more pro-actively at the operational level, and suggested that the Teesta river water sharing issue must be resolved at the earliest for taking bilateral relations to the next level. The Prime Minister however expressed her satisfaction over India’s initiative on issuing 1800 multiple entry visas to businessmen, and assured reciprocal steps. Visa issuance has been the major bottleneck between India Bangladesh relations especially for frequent business travelers over last few decades. The ICC Delegation also requested the Bangladesh PM to open visa and trade office in one of the State Capitals in the North Eastern Region for encouraging seamless trade , investment & service exchanges . The Delegation emphasized the need for India and Bangladesh to consider trading in Rupee rather than in the US Dollar for reducing uncertainties related to global economic shocks. Mr. Matlub Ahmad lauded India’s recent initiatives to reduce trade imbalance between the two countries.
The Delegation also attended the ‘NE-Bangladesh Business Conclave’ organized jointly by the India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce (IBCCI) and the Indian Chamber of Commerce. The prestigious Conclave was addressed by Dr. Dipu Moni, Foreign Affairs Minister of Bangladesh along with the Chief Ministers of Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Ministers from Tripura, Assam among others. Mr. Sanjay Bhattacharyya, Deputy High Commissioner of India in Bangladesh, while addressing the Conclave informed the gathering about concrete plans to open 8 more ‘Border Haats’ along the borders with Tripura and Mizoram. Dr. Moni stressed on the need to intensify people-to-people interactions & contacts through initiatives like ‘Border Haats’, media visits, relaxed visa norms etc. Dr. Sangma highlighted the need to focus on Tourism to facilitate people to people interactions and exchanges. The Conclave was organized on the sidelines of Indo-Bangla Trade Fair organized by the IBCCI.
The Delegation raised crucial issues related to India-Bangladesh bilateral relations, like transit facilities for North-Eastern States through Bangladesh, appropriate infrastructure for facilitating access for Indian Exporters to Chittagong Port including missing rail and road links, etc. Dr. Mukul Sangma stressed on the need for opening up more ‘Border Haats’ to boost socio-cultural bonding between the two neighbours, and thanked the Bangladesh PM for taking initiatives like opening of two such ‘Haats’ along the Bangladesh-Meghalaya border. Dr. Sangma also said that bamboo resources of North-Eastern states can be effectively utilized by Bangladesh as an alternative to timber and timber products. Dr Sangma mentioned that the Dhaka – Sylhet – Shillong – Guwahati Bus Service project needs to be expedited as it would go a long way to develop Tourism in the region.
Arunachal Pradesh CM Nabam Tuki said Bangladesh can actively engage with the State in Hydro-power projects and the power supply from such projects can play a key role in meeting the power deficit in Bangladesh. Ms Sheikh Hasina agreed to even bring in equity for the hydro projects in Arunachal Pradesh. Industry Minister of Tripura Mr. Jitendra Chaudhury requested for speedy implementation of transit infrastructure facilities for Indian traders at Ashuganj port and bus services between Tripura and Bangladesh. Enabling connectivity & transport infrastructure projects can strengthen bilateral economic cooperation and Tripura can play an instrumental role in the process, he felt. The Delegation also thanked the Bangladesh PM for tirelessly supporting the peace process in the North-East region. The proposed road connectivity between Dhubri and Bangladesh through the southern slopes of Meghalaya and Tripura would significantly improve trade & commerce between the two countries, and the North-East would stand to gain tremendously, it was felt in the meeting.
Mr. M.K. Saharia, Chairman of ICC’s North-East Initiative, emphasized on improvement of border trade infrastructure especially with the state of West Bengal. Land Custom Stations (LCS s) at Petrapol and Benapol handle 80% of the trade between two nations but there are issues like long waiting time, inadequate amenities and procedural delays for the exporters as well as for the trucks carrying materials. Mr. Saharia highlighted the need to convert these existing Land Custom Stations into state-of-the-art facilities on priority basis, and advocated the upgradation of other LCS s along the same lines for facilitating border trade. The Hon’ble PM also stressed that India needs to push the mutually agreed projects more pro-actively at the operational level, and suggested that the Teesta river water sharing issue must be resolved at the earliest for taking bilateral relations to the next level. The Prime Minister however expressed her satisfaction over India’s initiative on issuing 1800 multiple entry visas to businessmen, and assured reciprocal steps. Visa issuance has been the major bottleneck between India Bangladesh relations especially for frequent business travelers over last few decades. The ICC Delegation also requested the Bangladesh PM to open visa and trade office in one of the State Capitals in the North Eastern Region for encouraging seamless trade , investment & service exchanges . The Delegation emphasized the need for India and Bangladesh to consider trading in Rupee rather than in the US Dollar for reducing uncertainties related to global economic shocks. Mr. Matlub Ahmad lauded India’s recent initiatives to reduce trade imbalance between the two countries.
The Delegation also attended the ‘NE-Bangladesh Business Conclave’ organized jointly by the India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce (IBCCI) and the Indian Chamber of Commerce. The prestigious Conclave was addressed by Dr. Dipu Moni, Foreign Affairs Minister of Bangladesh along with the Chief Ministers of Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Ministers from Tripura, Assam among others. Mr. Sanjay Bhattacharyya, Deputy High Commissioner of India in Bangladesh, while addressing the Conclave informed the gathering about concrete plans to open 8 more ‘Border Haats’ along the borders with Tripura and Mizoram. Dr. Moni stressed on the need to intensify people-to-people interactions & contacts through initiatives like ‘Border Haats’, media visits, relaxed visa norms etc. Dr. Sangma highlighted the need to focus on Tourism to facilitate people to people interactions and exchanges. The Conclave was organized on the sidelines of Indo-Bangla Trade Fair organized by the IBCCI.
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