BD, Bhutan endorse traffic protocol

Bangladesh and Bhutan have approved a transit traffic protocol that was earlier drafted to provide a transit facility to Bhutan.
Sources said as Bhutan has a transit agreement with India, it can use the Bangladesh ports for export and import of goods through its own vehicles.
The commerce secretary-level meeting of the two countries approved the draft protocol on Wednesday.
Senior Commerce Secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh said at present the protocol benefits will be enjoyed by Bhutan's vehicles after approval by cabinets of both the countries.
Efforts are on to get the transit for Bangladesh from India, he said.
"If BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal) initiative was ratified, vehicles of both countries could use respective roads. Until it is effective, Bhutan will get the facility from Bangladesh due to having a transit agreement with India," the senior secretary told the FE over the phone.
He also said Bangladesh and India had a memorandum of understanding signed in 2015 for a transit facility, which will now be revived to work on getting the transit benefit from India.
India has recently announced that it will provide the transit facility to Bangladesh for exporting goods to a 3rd country.
Joint working group of transit protocol and agreement between Bangladesh and Bhutan finalised the draft in June.
Officials said soon after approval of the draft from the respective cabinets, an agreement will be signed between the two countries within a few months.
According to the protocol, Bhutanese goods-laden vehicles will have to pay road user fees like the Indian vehicles do.
But sources said the fees collection modality will be fixed after discussion on axle load specification and class categories of vehicles.
Bangladesh has been collecting Tk 1.85 per kilometre road user fees for medium sized trucks from India. But officials of the Road Transport and Highways Division said the fees for Bhutan might be different from those for India.
Bangladesh has a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Bhutan under which 34 Bhutanese goods will enjoy duty benefits.
Bangladesh will also enjoy the same over 100 goods which cannot be achieved before the transit agreement with India.
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