Delhi yet to match Dhaka’s pace in honouring 2010 communiqué

Delhi yet to match Dhaka’s pace in honouring 2010 communiqué
Bangladesh has completed implementing two major concerns of India

Monday, 10 January 2011
Anis Alamgir

Dhaka, Jan 9: On the eve of one year of signing the historic communiqué with India, Bangladesh feels that its initiatives in implementing the decisions has remained unmatched by Delhi, due to a considerable lack of effort from the Indian side. Foreign ministry officials said that Bangladesh had almost completed implementing the two major concerns of India – providing transit facilities for Indian goods through Bangladesh territory, and resolving security issues between the countries. On the other hand, Bangladesh’s demands for sharing waters of the Teesta, restraining zero-tolerance at the border and withdrawing trade barriers for Bangladeshi goods, have not been fulfilled yet.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had met her Indian counterpart, Manmohan Singh, on January 12, 2010, for delegation-level talks. A 51-point joint statement was issued soon after their meeting.
“However, both the countries have enjoyed a healthy relationship during the period, as compared to previous years. In 2002 and 2003, both countries used to summon each other’s envoys almost every month. Things are moving forward and going almost smoothly,” said a top foreign ministry official.
According to officials, tremendous progress has been made on the transit issue. After adding Ashuganj as the new transshipment point between Bangladesh and India, Dhaka has eventually allowed multi-modal transit to India. Officially, transit or transshipment was set to start from June 2010, but its actual implementation may be delayed until the roads in the border area are improved, they said.
Professor of international relations at Dhaka University Dr Imtiaz Ahmed said Bangladesh gained only on two counts---one billion dollar loan deal and joint celebrations of the 150th anniversary of birth of Poet Rabindranath Tagore--- so far from the joint communiqué.
“Talks were held on some other issues concerning Bangladesh’s interests, but no result is seen so far,” he said.

Infrastructure development projects have already been finalized for spending about $760 million out of the loan package. Again, 85 per cent of the materials for the construction works would have to be purchased from India, the international relations analyst pointed out.
However, Prof Imtiaz hoped that core issues for Bangladesh, like Teesta water sharing and settlement of maritime boundary disputes, would find some solutions during the return visit of Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in April or May this year.
Bangladesh signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with India, to use Ashuganj port for shipping heavy equipment, in order to set up a 726.6 MW power plant in Tripura. The pact will also clear transportation hurdles of about 96 over dimensional cargos (ODCs) to the Indian state of Tripura, for setting up a gas-based power plant at Palatana.
Finally, the government has formed an expert committee, headed by the Tariff Commission chairman, which will explore possible transit routes (rail-road-water) with India, and suggest a single structure on transit, along with charges, after studying such arrangements in neighbouring countries. Bangladesh has already offered facilities at Chittagong and Mongla ports to India.
According to the communiqué, India had agreed to let trucks from Bhutan and Nepal to enter up to 200 meters into the Zero Point at Banglabandh in Banglabandh-Phulbari land customs station.
On security issues, Dhaka has handed over some leaders of India-based insurgent groups and assured Delhi that the territory of Bangladesh would not be allowed for terrorist activities.
Both the countries have signed three agreements on security issues – on mutual legal assistance on criminal matters, on the transfer of sentenced persons, and on combating international terrorism, organised crime and illicit drug trafficking. All these accords have been ratified and would be operational after exchange. Top home ministry officials are going to meet next week in Dhaka for further co-operation in this regard.
However, Bangladesh has still been waiting to get its proper share of Teesta waters, which may not come into effect before the middle of this year, as India wants to handle the issue after polls in West Bengal. However, officials of the Joint River Commission are going to meet this week in Dhaka, to discuss the issue.
Bangladesh has also observed that, despite Indian home secretary’s promise that BSF would not kill innocent civilians in border areas, the issue has not been settled yet. The countries have still been talking about trade imbalances. Bangladesh’s demand for zero-tariffs for a number of goods, along with reduction of goods in the negative list, also has remained far from being fulfilled.
Bangladeshi officials had hoped that things would move forward on the trade front after Bangladesh commerce minister’s visit to India in October last year. During his visit, a number of issues, including formal inauguration of border haats (markets), removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers, duty-free access to Indian market, further reduction of the number of items from India’s negative list, Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and investment had been raised.
As part of the communiqué, India and Bangladesh had signed an agreement on August 7, last year, under which, New Delhi will provide a USD 1 billion line of credit for a range of projects, including railway infrastructure, supply of BG locomotives and passenger coaches, rehabilitation of Saidpur workshop, procurement of buses, and dredging projects. Both the countries had selected 14 projects under this credit scheme, some of which are progressing well.