The government's less than resolute stand in dealing with matters on transit in bilateral or regional negotiations is due, as is commonly believed, mainly to unprofessional handling. At the heart of the matter, there is an appalling lack of expertise, prompted largely by the absence of a designated agency to handle such an important subject. There is an apparent confusion as to which ministry of the government should play the lead role in dealing with transit issues. Although the rules of business of the government clearly stipulates this as the mandated responsibility of the ministry of commerce, occasional shifts to the ministry of shipping and lately to the ministry of foreign affairs demonstrate a sense of apathy with which the government seems to treat the subject.
True, the ministry of foreign affairs handles a lot of negotiations on behalf of the government. But transit, given its highly technical nature and linkages with a multitude of intricate areas, demands continuous work by a dedicated agency. On the other hand, the perception that transit as a matter of connectivity through various modes of transportation has more to do with the ministry of communication or the ministry of shipping is thoroughly erroneous. Transit as a mechanism governing trade and commerce has to be dealt with by the ministry of commerce or an agency under its control.
It was the ministry of commerce that looked after transit-related matters until the middle of 2012, the time when the issue of connectivity began to emerge with greater prominence. It has been reported that the government empowered the ministry of shipping in June 2012 to deal with the bilateral and regional transit issues in what appeared as sidestepping the 'Allocation of Business' that had authorised the ministry of commerce to deal with transit and transit-related jobs. After a few months, the job got shifted to the ministry of foreign affairs. Transit-related negotiations involving South Asian nations since then were stalled as lack of expertise and clear directions slowed the activities. In the absence of a clearly designated lead ministry, stakeholders find that the issues - diverse and interlinked -- are getting gradually delinked, making future negotiations difficult.
Lately, though, the sitting commerce minister has questioned the legitimacy of ministries other than his own to deal with transit, and has reportedly initiated a move to restore transit to the appropriate authority. This is being done ahead of a high-official level meeting involving Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Bhutan on sub-regional transit issues to be held in New Delhi this month. The upcoming meeting is expected to decide whether the sub-regional countries would go for an integrated transit approach involving all modes of transport -- road, railway and waterways or a piecemeal approach. In view of the gravity of the issues, it is extremely important that the government assigns none but the ministry of commerce with the task.
Dealing with transit
FE Team | Published: June 06, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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