India starts on implementation of motor pact with Bangladesh, Nepal

India in June 2015 signed a major sub-regional transport project covering Bangladesh, Bhutan & Nepal for seamless transit of passenger and cargo vehicles

India has embarked on the implementation of the BBIN motor pact with Bangladesh and Nepal, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said today.

India in June 2015 had signed the major sub-regional transport project, Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA), for the seamless transit of passenger and cargo vehicles among them. However, Bhutan could not get public and parliamentary support for it.

"We have initiated action for implementation of BBIN MVA by Bangladesh, India and Nepal. This has been taken up with the Ministry of External Affairs for coordinating with other two countries," Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister Gadkari told PTI.

The minister said that Bhutan has suggested that Bangladesh, India and Nepal may consider the implementation of the MVA.

Bhutan, which had inked the pact could not get public and parliamentary support for ratification of the agreement, while India, Bangladesh and Nepal have already ratified the pact.

The four SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries had in June 2015 signed the Motor Vehicle Agreement.

The pact aims at allowing motor vehicles of all categories registered in three countries to move freely in the region.

The government has earlier said that the pact will realise the ultimate objective of free movement of people and goods in the region and said that this would be supplemented through the building and upgrading roads, railways and waterways infrastructure.

On bus services with Nepal and Bangladesh, Gadkari said proposals to start such services on Kathmandu-Bodhgaya, Janakpur-Patna and Dehradun-Mahendranagar routes are underway.

Bus services between Delhi and Kathmandu, Varanasi- Kathmandu, Delhi-Mahendranagar and Delhi-Pokhra have already been started. India and Nepal Bus Service pact was signed in November 2014.

"Between India and Bangladesh, bus services on Agartala- Dhaka, Kolkata-Dhaka, Guwahati-Shillong-Dhaka and Kolkata- Agartala via Dhaka are operational," he said.