Burimari stands out on BD’s BBIN corridor map

Munima Sultana | Published: July 09, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

Â Burimari is likely to be used as the country's first ever sub-regional corridor under the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) trade arrangement.
A study has found it highly potential as a corridor for constructing the 295-kilometre road required for implementing the BBIN motor vehicle agreement.
Officials said the study, done with technical assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), proposed widening the 157km road from Hatikamrul to Rangpur and the 138km road from Rangpur to Burimari through Lalmonirhat to establish the country's road link with India, Bhutan and Nepal.
They said under the Sub-Regional Road Transport Project Preparatory Facility, detailed designs of the two national and regional highways have already been completed to accelerate the process of establishing the first ever corridor.
The BBIN came into being on June 14 after ministers of the four member-countries signed the BBIN motor transport agreement in Bhutan, an epoch-making effort to allow movement of all kinds of passenger and goods-carrying vehicles within the four member-countries.
The officials also said potential of the Banglabandha land port as the second BBIN corridor was also high. But it would take time due to non-completion of the feasibility study and a detailed design of the Panchagarh-Rangpur part of the road.
"We are now implementing the four-lane work on the Tangail-Elenga road up to the Bangabandhu Jamuna Bridge under the ADB-funded South Asia Sub-Regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Road Connectivity project.
The Hatikamrul-Rangpur road which is starting from the other side of the Jamuna Bridge is likely to be under the SASEC-2 project. "So establishing the corridor through Burimari is more feasible than Banglabandha," said an official involved with the feasibility study.
He said the ADB already hinted about funding the Hatikamrul-Rangpur part of the four-lane project to continue its support for the sub-regional corridor which is also to be a part of the Asian Highway.
The Tangail-Rangpur road is likely to facilitate traffic coming from Chittagong, Sylhet and other parts of Bangladesh to use the corridor on the way to India, Bhutan and Nepal. Bangladesh has been connected with six regional and sub-regional corridors. The corridor through Burimari will connect with the Asian Highway and the SASEC apart from the BBIN.
However, sources said to establish the BBIN corridor, other infrastructure facilities were yet to be developed and modalities were yet to be finalised.Â Â A concerned official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said a series of inter-ministerial meetings were being held to discuss modalities and other issues to meet the deadline to launch the first BBIN motor vehicle movement in January next.
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