Dhaka is unlikely to endorse the cross-border transport and trade facilitation project under the South Asia Sub-regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) at this stage due to an absence of national consensus on the issue, official sources said.
However, it might give its approval to four other projects relating to regional tourism, improvement of information and communication technology (ICT) and environment.
Bangladesh will clear its position at the fourth Country Advisers' Meeting (CAM) of the SASEC being held at Manila from June 4 to 5.
A delegation from Bangladesh, headed by the Economic Relations Division (ERD) Secretary, Aminul Islam Bhuiyan, is now in Manila to participate in the CAM.
With the financial support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Bhutan set up the SASEC with a view to improving the sub-regional cooperation for their further development.
Earlier, the working group, comprising the four countries, under the SASEC decided to implement those projects in the region after the endorsement by the ongoing CAM at Manila.
A source in the ERD told the FE that there were differences of opinion about allowing Indian trucks and other moods of transports to enter into Bangladesh.
Bangladesh will propose the CAM to allow Dhaka for further study and review the cross-border transportation projects.
The Bangladesh delegation will also propose the meeting that Dhaka will implement the cross-border transportation projects under the umbrella of SAARC and BIMSTEC, the source said.
As per the Transport Infrastructure and Trade Facilitation Project of SASEC, a 10km-long rail link between Bangladesh's Akhaura and India's Agartala, modernisation of cross-border regimes at three selected boarder points with setting up of efficient customs clearance system for transit cargoes, devising and implementing an agreement for cross-border truck movement between Bangladesh and India and human resources development for operating modernised cross-border management system will be implemented.
Other sources said the government might offer India the cross-border trade and transport facilities in exchange for some trade facilities from the neighbour.
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