Nepal-Bangladesh trade to get boost
KATHMANDU:
Trade between Nepal and Bangladesh is likely to increase after the approval of India to use the Rohonpur-Singhabad metre gauge rail line.
“The bilateral trade between Nepal and Bangladesh is likely to increase as India has allowed an additional railway route to Nepal,” said under secretary at the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies Jeev Raj Ghimire.
On September 6, India and Bangladesh signed an addendum to a 1978 India-Bangladesh memorandum of understanding (MoU) between themselves regarding the use of Rohanpur-Singhabad rail transit route.
“Along with the approval from the Indian side of the use of Rohonpur-Singhabad metre gauge rail line, we are hopeful that Nepal’s trade volume will also grow as we can trade on huge quantity,” he said, adding that after the agreement from India, Nepal and Bangladesh will now sign the final letter of exchange to use the Singhabad route substituting the Birol-Radhikapur rail transit. “After signing the letter of exchange, it will be forwarded to the cabinet for the final approval,” he added.
Bangladesh Railway has — after long request to the Indian railway to allow its Rohanpur-Singhabad metre gauge rail line for bilateral trade with the landlocked Nepal — finally got the approval.
According to the earlier protocol signed in 1978, Bangladesh had been using Birol-Radhikapur rail route for trading goods with Nepal. The transit facility was suspended in 2005 after India upgraded its rail line to broad gauge from metre gauge.
The latest India-Bangladesh agreement was signed in the light of Birol-Radhikapur rail route. The transit through Birol-Radhikapur rail route was suspended due to line mismatch but it made difficulty for Bangladesh to maintain trade with Nepal for not getting permission from India to use alternate metre gauge route.
After a long effort, the Indian railway authority gave Bangladesh permission to trade 25,000 tonnes of fertiliser only with Nepal in last July.
Nepal is currently importing fertilizer through the Rohanpur-Singhabad route on a limited scale but the other route between Birol Railway station in Dinajpur and Radhikapur Railway station in India remained suspended since April 2005 due to depolar condition of rail tracks.
Source: THT
Trade between Nepal and Bangladesh is likely to increase after the approval of India to use the Rohonpur-Singhabad metre gauge rail line.
“The bilateral trade between Nepal and Bangladesh is likely to increase as India has allowed an additional railway route to Nepal,” said under secretary at the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies Jeev Raj Ghimire.
On September 6, India and Bangladesh signed an addendum to a 1978 India-Bangladesh memorandum of understanding (MoU) between themselves regarding the use of Rohanpur-Singhabad rail transit route.
“Along with the approval from the Indian side of the use of Rohonpur-Singhabad metre gauge rail line, we are hopeful that Nepal’s trade volume will also grow as we can trade on huge quantity,” he said, adding that after the agreement from India, Nepal and Bangladesh will now sign the final letter of exchange to use the Singhabad route substituting the Birol-Radhikapur rail transit. “After signing the letter of exchange, it will be forwarded to the cabinet for the final approval,” he added.
Bangladesh Railway has — after long request to the Indian railway to allow its Rohanpur-Singhabad metre gauge rail line for bilateral trade with the landlocked Nepal — finally got the approval.
According to the earlier protocol signed in 1978, Bangladesh had been using Birol-Radhikapur rail route for trading goods with Nepal. The transit facility was suspended in 2005 after India upgraded its rail line to broad gauge from metre gauge.
The latest India-Bangladesh agreement was signed in the light of Birol-Radhikapur rail route. The transit through Birol-Radhikapur rail route was suspended due to line mismatch but it made difficulty for Bangladesh to maintain trade with Nepal for not getting permission from India to use alternate metre gauge route.
After a long effort, the Indian railway authority gave Bangladesh permission to trade 25,000 tonnes of fertiliser only with Nepal in last July.
Nepal is currently importing fertilizer through the Rohanpur-Singhabad route on a limited scale but the other route between Birol Railway station in Dinajpur and Radhikapur Railway station in India remained suspended since April 2005 due to depolar condition of rail tracks.
Source: THT
