By IANS
Dhaka : South Asian neighbours Nepal and Bangladesh have agreed on a rail and road corridor that would allow sea access to the Himalayan nation and facilitate passenger traffic in exchange for enhanced trade.
The two will try sorting out difficulties Nepal is facing in transiting its goods to Bangladesh through Indian territory.
Bangladesh has agreed in principle to offer Rohanpur in Chapainawabganj district at its northern tip as the rail port for the transit of goods to and from Nepal, United News of Bangladesh (UNB) news agency reported Tuesday.
The agreement came in response to a request from Nepal at trade talks that concluded in Kathmandu Monday.
Both sides agreed to take up the matters related to full-fledged operation of the Kakarbhitta-Panitanki-Phulbari-Banglabandh corridor with the Government of India in view of the existing difficulties faced in operation of transit to and from Bangladesh on this route through Indian territory.
“In this connection, both sides agreed to explore ways and means of an uninterrupted access of Nepalese cargo vehicles to and from the Banglabandh land port,” The Daily Star said Tuesday.
The two sides reviewed the agreement on the operating modalities of movement of cargo and vehicles and it was agreed to finalise it in the near future.
“Nepalese bilateral trade as well as the third-country trade of Nepal is hampered in the absence of this agreement,” said a Bangladeshi official.
At the secretary-level meeting, the two sides agreed on various other trade issues, including exchange of information and further exploring investment opportunities for greater economic linkages between the two countries.