A proposal was mooted Tuesday that Bangladesh should join India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) trilateral highway that connects India with ASEAN countries on direct road routes.
A former Indian envoy to Bangladesh came up with the suggestion at a meet in Dhaka -- incidentally in the wake of major geopolitical and strategic developments in this belt and nearby.
The integration of Bangladesh into this scheme would ensure seamless connectivity all the way from India to Thailand, said Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty while placing the proposal at the Bangladesh- India Security Dialogue.
The tri-nation trans-border highway under construction is expected to connect Moreh of India with Mae Sot of Thailand via Myanmar.
The long-haul land route is expected to boost trade and commerce in the ASEAN -- India Free Trade Area, as well as with the rest of Southeast Asia.
India has also proposed extending the highway to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. The proposed approximate 3,200-km route from India to Vietnam is known as East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC).
Referring to this scheme, Mr Chakravarty said, "I think Bangladesh somehow needs to be integrated into this project so that we can have better connectivity between India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand."
The diplomat's remarks were made while highlighting the scope for ensuring greater sub-regional connectivity in this part of the world.
"Empirical evidence shows that regions of the world which are better connected are more prosperous," Chakravarty told his audience at the eighth round of Indo-Bangladesh Security Dialogue organised by Bangladesh Enterprise Institute.
Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister's International Affairs Adviser Dr. Gowher Rizvi said, "We need to understand that connectivity is needed not only between India and Bangladesh but also within the sub-region -- Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan and India."
He also identified transport infrastructure as a major challenge for boosting the sub-regional connectivity and called for more private-sector investment in this area.
"Although government-to-government effort is being carried out in this regard, we would like to see a greater role of the private sector in it," Mr Rizvi said.
The Foreign Affairs Adviser also called for more Indian investment for boosting such transport infrastructure.
"India now has some world-class engineering and construction firms -- and we would like to see more of them coming here, so that we can expedite this particular segment."
Focusing on the red-hot topic of Rohingya crisis, he noted that the issue of mass exodus from Myanmar to Bangladesh has 'strong ramification' for the security of this region.
"Yes, we all have our geopolitical considerations. But we need to understand that this has strong ramification for the security of our region-India, Bangladesh and Myanmar," he told the two-nation dialogue at private level.
"If we do not work strongly and jointly on it, I fear it may undo some of the good works that have happened over the years," the adviser to the PM added.
In his speech, the former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, also highlighted the issues of water, border management and maritime security between the two countries.
"I do not like the word water sharing; I prefer the word water management. Because, it is more about management rather than sharing," he said.
"We have excess water in one season and less water during the other seasons. And so our challenge is -- how we use the excess water," the diplomat added.
He sees the pattern of agriculture as also an issue. "Because, water-intensive crops are taking up a lot of water and we should find alternative to such crops," he further said about the bilateral matter on the water front.
Reflecting on the border issue, Chakravarty said the overall goal should be to channel all trans-border activities into the legal channel.
In his view, currently, a lot of fake currencies are being pumped into India from Bangladesh, which needs to be addressed.
Mentioning some competitions for maritime resources within the Bay of Bengal region, he said the countries can cooperate in the area through carrying out joint explorations.
President of Bangladesh Enterprise Institute Ambassador Farooq Sobhan also spoke at the meet.
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