MoC asks ministries to finalise issues

Talha Bin Habib | Published: March 20, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

The ministry of commerce (MoC) will ask the ministries concerned to fianalise the issues discussed during the just-concluded Bangladesh-India Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting in the city, a trade official said.
Senior officials of both the countries at the JWG on trade meeting from March 13- 14, 2014 raised a number of issues from their respective sides for the mutual benefit of two countries. Â
The MoC is going to send the minutes of the meeting to the different ministries to finalise the issues. Â
"We will send the minutes of the JWG on trade meeting to the different ministries concerned soon to finalise the issues as early as possible," Md Shahabuddin Patwary, joint secretary of the MoC who led Bangladesh side during the meeting, told the FE Wednesday.
The high officials of both the countries will sit again in the JWG meeting on trade in the last quarter of the current year in New Delhi. They will review the progress of issues discussed in the latest meeting.
The issues raised by India during the meeting are: container train service between India and Bangladesh, coastal shipping, motor vehicles agreement, renewal of protocol on Inland water transit and trade, approval of 22 new border haats along the Meghalaya border, construction of link road from Benapole to Petrapole, infrastructure development of Petrapole- Benapole land ports, withdrawal of holding charges levied by land port authority (LPA) at Benapole and opening it through the week, improvement in cargo handling capacity at Benapole to ensure that trucks return on the same day to India.
Permission for development works within 150 yards of zero-line to be given by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Border Security Force (BSF) developed at the land customs stations (LCS), shifting of Sabroom Ramgarh LCS to new location near Srinagar boder haat,Â construction of bridge linking Zakiganj (Bangladesh)- Karimganj (India), bilateral cooperation agreement between BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) and BSTI (Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution), lifting of ban on export of Hilsa fish, formation of a permanent sub-group on LCS infrastructure, removal of 25 items from Bangladesh sensitive list of South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA), confirmation on the SAFTA proposal, finalisation of dates for the visit of team to exchange information on betel nut/ sarees export from Bangladesh, among others, were also the issues. Â
The issues raised by Bangladesh are: recognition of certificate issued by BSTI, removal of countervailing duty (CVD) on ready made garment (RMG), visa issue, liliput kidswear issue, development of infrastructure at Dhalu, Gujadanga and Changrabanda, office timing at Petrapole, bridge on Feni river and phyto-sanitary officer at Changrabanda.
The volume of trade between the two countries was $ 5.34 billion in the fiscal year (FY) 2012-13. Bangladesh's exports to India were $ 563 million for the FY 2012-13, leaving Bangladesh's trade deficit at $ 4.2 billion.