Cargo transit pact with Nepal on cards

The Independent
Thursday, 21 October 2010

ANIS ALAMGIR

The government plans to sign a deal on ‘Operation Modalities for Carriage of Transit Cargo’ both via rail and road with Nepal soon.
The five-year agreement will authorise Nepal’s cargo vehicles to carry imported or exported goods for transit through the territory of Bangladesh to or from Nepal, excluding goods in thenegative list as fixed by the two countries. The draft agreement said that transit cargo vehicle/vehicles could move single/in a convoy of maximum 25 vehicles under the protection of Bangladesh government.
Three routes have been selected by the two sides for transit as entry and exit points. The first one is Banglabandha-Panchagarh-Thakurgaon-Sayedpur-Rangpur-Bogra-Natore-Dasuria-Pakshcy-Kushtia-Jhenaidah-Jessore-Khulna-Mongla route, the second one is Biral-Parbatipur-Abdulpur-lshardee-Jessore-Khulna-Mongla route, and the third one running through Rohanpur-Rajshahi-Abdulpur-lshwardy-Khulna will be the route for rail cargo.
However, according to the draft, the transshipment point would be Santahar, and the entry and exit points for any particular cargo vehicle would be the same, unless specified otherwise.
It has been stated in the draft agreement that items, like firearms and ammunition, Hazardous cargo, gold and silver, goods prohibited for protecting human, animal and plant lives, antiques and similar other objects, narcotics and psychotropic substances and any other goods as restricted or prohibited by the Bangladesh government, would be treated as included in the negative list, and therefore, would not be allowed for transit through Bangladesh.