Govt to build road, rail, waterway infrastructure

FE Report | Published: March 05, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

The government decided in an inter-ministerial meeting Tuesday to develop infrastructure for all land, sea and air routes to improve trade connectivity with India.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith presided over the meeting at the finance ministry conference room where seven ministers and six secretaries were present.
As per decisions, the government will develop several land customs stations, land ports, rail routes and introduce a coastal shipping line and a direct air route.
"We need to establish connectivity with India for boosting trade, otherwise the neighbouring country will not sit idle for our decision," Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said while briefing the media after the meeting.
"As India has given us duty-free and quota-free market access for all of our goods other than tobacco and alcohol, we need to make most of the benefits," Mr Tofail added.
The meeting agreed on setting up an immigration check-post at the Banglabandha-Fhulbari land port, the need for improving infrastructure on the Indian side at the Burimari-Changrabandha land port, early completion of the 15-km Agartala-Akhaura railway link, initiation of bilateral discussions on Agartala-Ramgaon communication and connecting Bangladesh with India's Phulbari railway link.
The meeting also decided on early opening of the Rohanpur-Singhabad rail link, starting Dhaka-Guwahati flights by June, exporting goods to India by improving navigability of the Brahmaputra River and opening two new deputy high commissions of Bangladesh in the Indian cities of Mumbai and Guwahati.
It was also decided to build some ports-on-call to establish trade link with Asam and Meghalya estates of India.
The meeting also decided to establish deputy high commission offices at Gouhati and Chennai in India very soon, Mr Tofail said.
Referring to the necessity of connectivity, he said: "We've discussed in today's meeting how we can export goods to India by road, river and air."
When asked whether these linkages were an alternative to transit facilities, he said: "We've to develop the communication system (connectivity) if we want to enhance trade and commerce. It's the most important thing."
He said that the process of switching to the fast-track from the second track in the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Economic Corridor, a strategic economic partnership proposed by the long-standing BCIM Forum, was at its final stage.
"A road communication system will be built starting from Kunming (Yunnan province of China) to India via Myanmar and Bangladesh. We'll benefit from it."
The minister said the government would sign free trade agreements (FTAs) with many countries including Chili and Russia.
Mr Tofail expressed hope that Bangladesh would exceed the current year's target in export and the export earnings from readymade garment might surpass the mark of US$ 30 billion by 2015 and $ 50 billion by 2021.
Mr Tofail expressed his cautiousness in relaxing visa rules between Bangladesh and India, saying: "We have to be cautious about cross-border militant groups."
Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu, Foreign Minister Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali, Communications Minister Obaidul Quader, Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan and Railways Minister Mujibul Haque attended the meeting.
Prime Minister's Foreign Affairs Adviser Gowher Rizvi, Chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) Golam Hossain, Bangladesh High Commissioner to New Delhi Ahmed Tariq Karim and secretaries of the concerned ministries were present at the meeting.