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Bangladesh is going to allow yarn import through four more land ports – Bhomra of Satkhira, Sonamasjid of Chapainawabganj, Darshana of Chuadanga, and Banglabandha of Panchagarh – in a bid to facilitate the essential apparel raw material trade as well as boost the ports' activities.

Currently, Bangladesh imports yarn through the Benapole land port only from neighbouring India.

The National Board of Revenue has taken the decision at a recent meeting headed by its Chairman Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem.

Of the four ports, Banglabandha will be allowed especially to import yarn from Nepal following repeated requests from the landlocked country, according to the meeting minutes, a copy of which The Business Standard has obtained.

"Apart from Benapole, yarn imports through Bhomra, Sonamasjid, and Darshana land ports will be allowed for yarn import," it reads.

"However, the three ports will not be useful to import yarn from Nepal. Considering that, traders will be allowed to import Nepalese yarn using the Kakarvitta-Panitanki-Phulbari-Banglabandha route," it adds.

Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote to the revenue board for allowing non-acrylic Nepalese yarn import, arguing that it would help further strengthen bilateral relations between the two neighbouring countries.

It said Nepal has the capacity of exporting a small amount of non-acrylic yarns, but keeping a ban on the trade hurts the relationship with the neighbour.

Earlier in late 2018, the NBR allowed the import of only acrylic yarn from Nepal through the Banglabandha land port by withdrawing a ban imposed in 2002.

Meanwhile, talking to The Business Standard, local spinners criticised the government move, saying that it might affect the local yarn-manufacturing industry.

"As per we know Nepal has no spinning mills. Then, how do they export yarn?" Bangladesh Textile Mills Association Director Md Saleudh Zaman Khan asked.

"Already local spinners have a stockpile of yarns worth over $2 billion. Moreover, yarn imports through the port would not be cost-effective," he, also managing director of NZ Group, added.

Mentioning that there is no testing facility to measure yarn quality at the Banglabandha port, he feared that the facility of importing yarn through the port might be abused by third-country exporters.

However, the foreign ministry in its letter argued that Nepal is not capable of exporting so much yarn that can have a negative impact on Bangladesh's yarn-makers. Moreover, the move will diversify yarn sources.

When contacted, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Executive President Mohammad Hatem appreciated the government move of allowing yarn import through Banglabandha land port.

Besides, the opportunity of importing Indian yarn through other land ports will reduce dependency on the Benapole land port, he added.

 

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Bangladesh will export 30 GBPS of bandwidth to Assam Electronics Development Corporation Limited, a government-owned entity of the Indian state of Assam.

The issue of export was finalised at a meeting of an Indian delegation with Posts and Telecommunication Minister Mustafa Jabbar at the secretariat on Tuesday.

It was decided to sign the agreement in this regard after all the processes are completed by November. The telecommunication minister has directed the institutions concerned to follow due process for bandwidth export to Assam.

Once the process is completed, Assam will establish a cable connection from Tamabil in Sylhet, via Dawki in Meghalaya, to Guwahati at its own expense. However, the minister assured the delegation that Bangladesh will establish an alternative line to ensure uninterrupted connectivity to Tamabil.

Currently, Tripura in India also imports 20 GBPS of bandwidth from Bangladesh.

Kumbamut Lang Nongbri, Joint Secretary (IT) to the Meghalaya State Government, led their delegation at the meeting where Managing Director of Bangladesh Submarine Cable Limited, Md Sahab Uddin, was present.

Posts and Telecommunication Minister Mustafa Jabbar said that on the eve of the onset of Covid-19 in 2020, 1,000 GBPS of bandwidth was used in the country, which increased to 3,800 GBPS at present. Bangladesh has started its third submarine cable connection and an additional 13,200 GBPS of bandwidth will be connected when the third submarine connection is completed.

Besides, 3,800 GBPS more of bandwidth is going to be added to the first submarine cable, which will increase the current capacity almost five fold, he added.

Other members of the Assamese delegation were Assam Electronics Development Corporation Limited Manager Shyamal Sarkar, Assam Electronics Development Corporation Limited Consultant CR Deka, and Dipankar Chowdhury.

 

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Bangladesh and India on Thursday finalised the text of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on interim water sharing of Kushiyara river.

Both sides also welcomed finalisation of the design and location of water intake point on the Feni river to meet the drinking water needs of Sabroom town in Tripura as per the October 2019 Bangladesh-India MoU on this subject.

At the 38th ministerial level Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) meeting held in New Delhi, the two countries discussed "issues related to water-sharing treaties" of various rivers, including Teesta and Ganga.

The meeting was held after a gap of twelve years. The last meeting was held in 2010.

State Minister for Water Resources Zaheed Farooque led the 17-member Bangladesh delegation at the JRC meeting while India's Jal Shakti (Water Resources) Minister Gajendra Singh Shakhawat led the Indian delegation.

AKM Enamul Hoque Shameem, deputy minister for Water Resources was also part of the Bangladesh delegation.

The meeting assumed significance as it was held after a long gap, though the technical interactions under the framework of JRC have continued in the intervening period.

Bangladesh side requested for conclusion of the long pending Teesta water sharing treaty at an early date. The Indian side assured of their utmost efforts in concluding the agreement.

Bangladesh state minister requested his Indian counterpart for his support in signing the MoU for withdrawal of water by Bangladesh and India from the common stretch of Kushiyara river at an early date. The Indian minister assured that the issue is under their consideration.

Both sides agreed to conduct the feasibility study for optimum utilization of water received by Bangladesh under the provision of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, 1996.

India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers, of which seven rivers have been identified earlier for developing the framework of water sharing agreements on priority.

During the meeting, it has been agreed to widen this area of ongoing cooperation by including eight more rivers for data exchange.

The matter will be further discussed at the Technical Level Committee of JRC.

The JRC meeting was preceded by water resources secretary-level interaction on Tuesday.

The Joint Rivers Commission of Bangladesh and India was constituted in 1972 as a bilateral mechanism to address issues of mutual interest on common / border / transboundary rivers.

The discussions during this bilateral meeting were held on a number of ongoing bilateral issues of mutual interest including river water sharing of common rivers, sharing of flood data, addressing river pollution, conducting joint studies on sedimentation management, river bank protection works etc.

One of the important areas of cooperation, where India has been assisting Bangladesh, is sharing of real time flood data. India has recently extended the period of flood data sharing beyond 15th October to help Bangladesh address unforeseen flood events.

The JRC meeting discussed the whole gamut of the issues related to the common rivers between the two countries specially the Ganges, Teesta, Manu, Muhuri, Khowai, Gumti, Dharla, Dudhkumar and Kushiyara.

Apart from this, exchange of flood related data and information, river bank protection works, common basin management, and also Indian River Interlinking Project were discussed in detail.

The JRC meeting agreed to undertake some more common rivers for exchange of data and information towards preparation of the draft framework of interim water sharing agreement.

Earlier at the seventh round of the Bangladesh-India Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) meeting held in New Delhi this year, Bangladesh and India agreed to work closely together to further deepen and strengthen cooperation in the areas of common rivers and water resources management.


 

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The first ever cargo vessel carrying Fabric scraps, locally known as jhut, from Bangladesh left for India on Saturday (27 August).

The ship, Ya Razzak, left Muktarpur terminal at the Summit Alliance Port in Munshiganj's Dhaleswari River around 12:45pm.

The vessel carrying the first consignment of 111 tons of cotton jhut will go to Dhubri port in the Indian state of Assam. It will take about six to seven days to reach the destination at a distance of 650km.

This is the first time that Bangladesh commenced its jhut export to India.

Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, director of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), said empty vessels in the past used to go to India and return with imported goods.

"This is the first time that goods are being exported to India by sea," he said, adding, "If this continues to run successfully, we would export around 1 lakh metric tons of jhut goods abroad, against which the opportunity to earn huge amounts of foreign currency will be created."

A company named Moktar Hossain Traders is exporting the cotton rags (jhut).

 

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Indian entrepreneurs have expressed interest to invest Tk800 crore in Bangladeshi joint ventures, said Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida).

"Entrepreneurs from India are very interested in investing in Bangladesh. They offered to jointly invested Tk800 crores with Bangladeshi institutions," said Bida Executive Chairman Md Sirazul Islam said during a press briefing on Sunday (28 August).

Recently a conference titled "Trade and Investment Prospects between India and Bangladesh" was recently held in Jaipur, India. It was organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (Cll) and India Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IBCCI). Sunday's press briefing was organised to inform about the outcomes of the conference.

"The conference generated interest among the participants. At the end nine MoUs and EoIs were signed between parties mostly for joint ventures ranging from three-wheeler (cargo) manufacturing, generators, and mustard oil plant to solar power to jewelry. The amount involved is around Tk800 crore. The enthusiasm shown in Jaipur led me to believe that HPM's visit to Delhi in September, 2022 will create more interest among Indian investors," said Bida Executive Chairman Md Sirazul Islam.

Additionally, Indian investors expressed interest in investing in Tata diesel generators, mustard oil production, marble and granite cutting and polishing industry, jewellery industry, silver, gold and handmade products and tourism business.

 

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Dhaka is considering a long-term agreement with Delhi to buy fuel amid a global supply shortage of energy.

"India is in a better position on the fuel issue. So, we will try to go for a long-term deal with them if they have surplus. But it will depend on how much surplus they have. They have their own supply and demand thing," said Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen yesterday.

The issue, among others, will be discussed during the prime minister's visit to India scheduled for September 5-8.

Russia faces sanctions from the US and EU following its invasion in Ukraine. India, however, managed to buy Russian fuel.


The officials of the National Highway and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL) on Sunday (28 August) visited the Bharat-Bangla Maitri Setu (Friendship Bridge of India and Bangladesh) over Feni River at Ananda Para under the Sabroom sub-division for inspection and expressed displeasure over the poor quality of works.

The delegation of NHIDCL officials led by its Executive Director Pradeep Kumar saw flaking plasters, and water accumulation in different parts of the bridge. They also noticed that the silt is worn and the grass has grown in different parts of the pillars on both sides of the bridge, Northeast Today reported.

Following the visit Executive Director Pradeep Kumar directed the Corporation's DGM Sunil Kumar to mitigate the problems immediately.

The loopholes spotted also include- rusting of the steel safety barrier, cracks at about eight places in the concrete barrier on both sides of the bridge, while the iron rods on the barrier were rusted. As the water drainage ditches in the bridge are above the water level the water is not being drained, thus the water has accumulated in different parts of the bridge

According to NHIDCL executive director, the contractor company working on the bridge at that time caused a leak in the bridge for not being able to arrange this water drainage in any direction following the water accumulation on the bridge.

He feared that it may have a significant impact on the stability of the bridge in the future.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the India-Bangladesh Friendship Bridge (Maitri Setu) over Feni River on 9 March 2021, however, the bridge has not been opened to traffic to date.

This 150-metre-long bridge is also known as the gateway of the Northeast. It was constructed by an Ahmedabad-based company 'DRA Infracon'.

 

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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will meet his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on September 6 to discuss trade relations between the two countries.

According to Indian officials, Tripura's trade volume with Bangladesh increased by 158% in the last three years.

However, the bilateral trade relation is still uneven as only 30% of the trade volume involves export to Bangladesh and 70% of the trade comes from goods imported from the country.

The matter is expected to be discussed by Narendra Modi with Sheikh Hasina on 6 September, reports Indian news outlet The Indian Express.

Speaking to reporters at the state secretariat, India's Special Secretary for Industries and Commerce Abhishek Chandra said while the trade volume with Bangladesh used to be Rs390.68 crore, the figures now stand at Rs1,008.4 crore (Tk1.19 = Rs1).

However, he said some problems still exist in some sectors and those would be taken up by Modi with Sheikh Hasina during her visit to New Delhi.

"There are still problems in some areas. Two Border Haats with Bangladesh were stopped during Covid and weren't restarted. We have requested to allow movement of goods and services in these but it's still awaiting approval.

"There is also some objection about an Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Muhurighat in South Tripura. Prime Minister Modi has agreed to take up these issues with the Bangladesh premier on 6 September," the official added.

Speaking on the trade deficit on the Indian side, the official said the state government has identified 26 products where the trade volume could increase but only 16 of them were permitted for export by Bangladesh.

These include rubber and tea, two of the most important cash crops of Tripura, which has the potential of significantly boosting the state's trade prospects.

"Rubber goes to Bangladesh from Petrapole-Benapole in West Bengal (WB). If we could send it from here, it could alone boost the prospects. Our tea can be exported there with 80 % duty, which makes it uncompetitive in Bangladesh. That's why our trade balance is skewed. The PM would take up different issues from northeast India with the Bangladesh premier, including issues pertaining to Tripura."

In terms of volume, Indo-Bangla trade through six Land Customs Stations (LCS) and Integrated Check Posts in Tripura increased by Rs14.65 crore in 2018-19, by Rs30.34 crore in 2019-20 and Rs16.39 crore in 2020-21.

The industries and commerce special secretary also said as a part of the sectoral development, the Indo-Bangla friendship bridge on River Feni would be inaugurated on 9 September.


Fish importers in West Bengal on Thursday requested the Bangladesh government to send at least 2,000MT of Hilsa fish, popularly known as the queen of fish, to the state for the upcoming festive season.

"Last year, the Bangladesh government had allowed export of 4,600MT of Hilsa but due to paucity of time, only around 1200 MT could reach us. This year we have requested them to allow export of around 2000MT but increase the time frame from one month to around 45 days so that the entire consignment could be imported," said SA Maqsood, secretary of Fish Importer's Association.

While the catch of Hilsa along the West Bengal coast has been dwindling, the haul in Bangladesh has gone up steadily over the years because of multiple reasons.

Since 2012, the Sheikh Hasina-led Bangladesh government imposed a ban on the export of Hilsa. Every year, a few thousand metric tonnes of Hilsa are allowed to be exported to India during this time of the year.

"We have also urged the Bangladesh government to lift the ban on Hilsa which has been imposed since 2012. We are yet to receive any response. Hopefully the response will come within a week and Bangladeshi Hilsa will be available before the Durga Puja," he said.

In 2021, fishermen in West Bengal could catch only around 6,170MT of Hilsa. The catch has been going down over the years. In 2011, Hilsa catch was around 16,500MT. It went down below 10,000MT over the next three years. In 2017, around 26,000MT of Hilsa was caught, the highest haul in recent times. In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, it went down to 2,085MT, the lowest in recent years.

There are multiple factors ranging from unbridled fishing, pollution, rainfall, decreasing depth in rivers because of siltation and river flush around this time of the year, among others.

"They are very sensitive to subtle changes. They would migrate from sea to rivers to breed and would swim in that direction where they get favourable conditions. If they don't find suitable conditions in River Hooghly in West Bengal, they enter the Meghna-Padma estuary in Bangladesh," said Shyamsundar Das, joint secretary of West Bengal United Fishermen Association.

This year too, the catch has been meagre as a result of which prices have soared.

The fish weighing more than a kilogram is selling for ₹1,800-2,000.

The bigger the size, the higher is the price per kilogram but decent-sized Hilsa (at least 1.5kg) are hard to find in the market.

 

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Of $7.3 billion loans committed to Bangladesh under three lines of credit (LoCs) of India, $1.2 billion has so far been disbursed since the first credit line was signed 12 years ago and the third one five years back.

The disbursed loan accounts for 16.6% of the total amount pledged, according to the updated report of the Economic Relations Division (ERD).

Obtaining consent of the Indian authorities required for every project under the LoC programme and approval at various stages – from inviting tenders to appointing bidders – are among the causes that delay the start of project implementation and disbursement, officials of the ERD and implementing agencies told The Business Standard.

According to the terms and conditions of the Indian LoC, only contractors from India can be assigned to projects financed under this programme. But in many procurements, contracting firms bid more than the estimated costs, creating complications and thus delaying start of project work, they maintained.

A number of projects have also been delisted from the LoC mid-way due to India's stringent credit conditions and negligence on part of the Indian contractors, the officials said.

Tough loan terms

A number of implementing agencies are losing interest in projects under Indian LoC because of the tough loan terms and various other complications such as mandatory buying of 75% of the goods, services and works from India while only 25% from Bangladesh or the international market.

In case of projects related to public works, however, as low as 65% of Indian products can be procured subject to the approval of the Indian authorities. But this facility is applicable only for road projects. India does not provide this opportunity for power, shipping or rail infrastructure projects.

According to an ERD report, 11 out of the 15 projects under the first LoC were procurement or supply projects, while only two of the 15 projects under the second LoC are related to supply and the remaining 13 are related to construction work. Among the 16 projects under third LoC, none is a supply project.

A senior ERD official said on condition of anonymity that a political decision from the two countries is necessary to bring about changes in the terms of Indian loans.

Speaking to reporters on this topic, Planning Minister MA Mannan last week said, "In my experience, it is a bureaucratic programme and takes time to move forward. Asian Development Bank and World Bank are not so bureaucratic."

Dr Ahsan H Mansur, executive director of the Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh (PRI), said Indians are very conscious about their own interests. Therefore, he said, even if there is political will, the bureaucracy stands in the way.

"It is time to evaluate Indian loans through independent agencies. This assessment will show how much we are benefiting from Indian loans," he felt.

"The projects funded by India require the construction materials to be brought from India. Again only Indian contractors can participate in the tender," the economist said, explaining how loan conditions are limiting benefits expected from LoC projects.

Projects hit snag as fund flow slows

According to ERD data, the Indian authorities have disbursed $727.61 million as of 20 Augusts this year under the first LoC, which is 84% of the total loan amount of $862 million.

Out of the 15 projects being implemented under this LoC, signed on 7 August 2010, 12 have been completed. Most of these projects are concerning buying buses, trucks or other products from India.

The implementation of the three major projects of rail infrastructure construction taken up under the first LoC has been going on for more than a decade.

The implementation of the Kulaura-Shahbazpur Railway Line project started in July 2011. So far, the physical progress of the project is only 25% as it took six years to get the construction contract with an Indian company signed in 2017 after completing various approval processes from the Indian authorities concerned.

The construction work was supposed to be completed in May 2020. Later, the deadline was extended till June 2023.

Project Director Sultan Ali told TBS that the project work is going on at a snail's pace now.

At the 20th Bilateral Lines of Credit (LOC) Review Meeting held in June in New Delhi, the ERD expressed their concerns on the capability, sincerity and commitment of the EPC contractor and suggested that suitable action may be initiated if no improvement is seen in their performance.

Same situation is in the Dhaka-Tongi-Joydebpur Railway Line project. Construction work on the project, under the first LoC, started in 2012. The total cost of the project is Tk1,107 crore, of which Tk903 crore is pledged to be provided by India. So far, not even 50% of the physical work in this project is completed.

Meanwhile, the Indian authorities have disbursed $233 million under the second LoC, which is 11.6% of the committed figure of $2 billion.

The second LoC loan agreement with India was signed on 9 March 2016. A total of 15 projects have been taken up under this LoC, of which two vehicle purchase projects for the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) have already been completed.

Four more projects are under execution under the second LoC, tender has been floated for another one while five projects are in project proposal approval or consultant appointment stage.

Last year, the Health Directorate decided not to take Indian loans in the middle of two ongoing projects of hospital construction. Later, following the application of the Ministry of Health, the two projects were removed from the second LoC list.

One of these two projects is Sheikh Hasina Medical College and Hospital and Nursing College in Jamalpur. The other is Establishment of 500-bed Hospital and Ancillary Buildings in Jashore, Cox's Bazar, Pabna and Noakhali Medical Colleges.

The Creating Facilities for Additional Students Enrollment in Different Polytechnic Institutes project has also been excluded from the second LoC due to a lack of interest of the implementing agency, although it was in the list.

On the other hand, the third LoC with India worth $4.5 billion was signed in March 2017.

Under this credit line, the implementation of two procurement projects – Procurement of 600 Double Decker and Single Decker Buses for BRTC, and Procurement of 600 Double-decker and Single-decker Buses for BRTC – has already been completed.

Because of the two completed projects, about $264 million or 3.8% of the total promised loan amount has been disbursed under the third LoC till 20 August 2022.

Of the other projects among the 16 projects taken under this LoC, one has reached execution stage, six are in tender floating stage, and five are in the approval or consultant engagement stage.

Implementing agencies backtrack on India LoC projects

Meanwhile, due to the complications caused by the Indian contractors bidding more than the estimated costs, state-owned telecom operator Teletalk has proposed to complete the project without completing the expansion of its 4G technology under the third Indian LoC.

In a letter sent to the Planning Commission regarding the Teletalk project, the Posts and Telecommunications Division said, "As per the terms of the Indian loan, 75% of the equipment used in the project has to be imported from India. Four years into the approval of the project, tenders were called last year, but Indian contractors proposed higher prices."

If the project is implemented at the rates proposed by the Indian contractors, the cost of the project will increase by 20%, which the telecom division found not justified.

Meanwhile, although in the list of projects under the third LoC, the authorities think it will not be reasonable to implement the Bay-Terminal project with the Indian loan. The project was supposed to get $400 million from the Indian credit line.

An official of the Chattogram Port Authority on condition of anonymity told TBS that the implementing agency has already informed the government of their decision not to implement the Bay-container project with Indian loan.

 

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Indian Cabinet has given its ex-post facto approval for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Bangladesh and India on withdrawal of upto 153 cusecs of water each by Bangladesh and India from common river Kushiyara.

The approval came on Wednesday. The Cabinet meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A joint monitoring team will be set up by both the countries to monitor the withdrawal of water by each side during dry season, said the Press Information Bureau of India on Wednesday.

The MoU was signed on 6 September between the Ministry of Jal Shakti, India and Ministry of Water Resources, Bangladesh on withdrawal of water during dry season (1st November to 31st May) for their consumptive water requirement.

The MoU will enable government of Assam to withdraw upto 153 cusecs of water from the common stretch of Kushiyara river during dry season (1st November to 31st May) for their consumptive water requirement.

 

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Bangladeshi company Marine Trust Limited began transporting goods on the Chattogram-Kolkata route in 2017 with four ships, but the company has now stopped its shipping operations on the route.

A few other companies, including Neepa Paribahan Ltd, the first ship operating company on this route, have followed suit, causing the transportation of goods on this route to come almost to a standstill.

Industry people have attributed their pull-out to various conditions, such as a short shipment time and strictness in safety and security compliance on ships, imposed by the Indian shipping authorities.

Besides, not raising freight charges in line with the 50% hike in fuel price has prompted the companies to suspend their shipping services on the route, they say.

Now, businesses need to wait more than a month for transporting their goods on the route, despite only a 36-hour distance between Chattogram and Kolkata ports, owing to a shortage of ships.

Bangladesh and India signed a Coastal Shipping Agreement in 2015 to allow both Bangladeshi and Indian vessels to carry goods to the recognised ports. Following the agreement, direct movement of container ships between Chattogram port and Shyama Prasad Mookerjee Port Trust got underway.

But businesses are now losing out on the benefits of this deal as ship owners are now turning away from this route even after having invested crores of taka.

In the beginning, more than 10 ships of different companies would ply the route, but now only two companies have kept up their operations.

Businessmen say if this trend continues, there will be no shipping operations after 2022.

They have, therefore, demanded that the Bangladesh government resolve the existing problems and increase the number of ships on this route.

Shahikul Islam, managing director of Marine Trust Limited, told The Business Standard, "We have to face various difficulties. Even in securing permission to operate ships, we have suffered a lot. Now we have lost interest in operating vessels on this route due to various conditions imposed by the Indian shipping authorities."

The company is now operating its four ships in inland ports, he noted, adding, "The investment of Tk80 crore would have been enough for local operations."

Sharing a bitter experience, he said a ship called Marine Trust 1, which would ply the Chattogram-Kolkata route, met with an accident at Kolkata port in March, costing them Tk12 crore for only its recovery.

"Now Kolkata port is demanding a compensation of Tk34 crore. That means it will cost us about Tk60 crore to bring the ship back to Bangladesh and make it operational," he noted.

The current value of the ship will be less than Tk60 crore. Besides, six out of 15 sailors, who were stranded at Kolkata port after the accident, have not been released yet, he added.

Neepa Paribahan Ltd started operating the first "Harbor 1" vessel on the route after the coastal agreement. The ship has operated 30 voyages on this route. Later, the company added another vessel named "MV Samuel" to its fleet. After the ship made five trips, the company stopped the operation of both vessels.

Nasir Ahmed Chowdhury Ripon, owner of Neepa Paribahan Limited and president of Bangladesh Container Ship Owners Association, told TBS that the Directorate General of Shipping, India, used to give permission for ships to ply this route for one year initially. But now it has come down to a month or less.

"So we have lost interest in it. Besides, the conditions given to ensure the safety and security of ships are difficult to maintain on ships plying coastal routes," he also said.

Citing an example, Nasir Ahmed Chowdhury Ripon also said, "In the beginning, we used to spend about Tk4 lakh per month on salaries of sailors on this route. This expenditure has now increased to more than Tk10 lakh because of a jump in grades of sailors and officers and an increase in their numbers on a ship to fulfil the conditions."

Ship owners are not able to adjust to this additional cost, he added.

Ships bring in chemicals, iron goods, billets and yarns to Chattogram port and carry empty containers and agro-processed food items to Kolkata.

The number of ships that plied this route since 2015 include Ship Harbor 1, Marin Trust 1, Marin Trust 3, Trans Samudera, Nou Kollan 1, Nou Kollan 2, Shejyoti, Invicta 1, according to shipping agent Mango Line.

The trial run of cargo ships on this route is also nearing completion under an agreement signed between Indian and Bangladesh to use Chattogram and Mongla ports for the transit of goods.

In case of transportation of goods to Kolkata, ocean-going vessels need to use transshipment ports, such as Colombo port in Sri Lanka, which takes about two weeks and costs $600 per container.

On the other hand, it takes one and a half days for the goods to reach Kolkata on ships operating under the coastal agreement. The cost is less than $200.

According to the Coastal Shipping Agreement, goods can be transported to seven ports, including Kolkata and all river ports and three seaports in Bangladesh.

Ayakub Bhuiya Sujan, managing director of MV Trans Samudera ship's shipping agent Mango Line, said ships with a capacity of 120-200 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers travel from Chattogram to Kolkata. Empty container's rent is $50-80, while the rate is $150-160 for a container filled with products. The freight charges have remained the same for the last 5 years, but the fuel cost has increased by almost %50.

Khairul Alam Sujan, vice-president of Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association, said a business-friendly permanent policy should be introduced to keep the Chattogram-Kolkata service running so that businessmen of the two countries derive benefits from it.

Meanwhile, Port Authority Secretary Md Omar Farooq said it is a matter of policy relating to both countries. As such, he did not wish to comment on it.

 

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Coal transport from India's Pandu inland waterway port in Guwahati to Bangladesh is slated to begin soon.

The Indian side, with the move, aims to enhance cargo transport through inland waterways in their eastern and north-east region.

The coal movement will be undertaken from India's Pandu port to Bangladesh's Sirajganj port along the River Jamuna, reports Indian English daily Economic Times.

"The coal transport will commence shortly, currently we are looking into the custom formalities of the voyage to be undertaken," said Assistant Director at Inland Waterways Authority of India Mukul Jain was quoted as saying by Economic Times.

The coal stocks, collected from mines in Meghalaya, will be transported to several buyers in Bangladesh on a "free-on-board" basis via barges operated by private companies.

Also, the maiden steel cargo transport was undertaken by two barges carrying a consignment of 1,798 tonne steel products of Tata Steel Ltd from Haldia port in West Bengal to Pandu inland port via the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route earlier this year.

Another important inland waterway port is Dhubri, located in lower Assam and close to the Bangladesh-India border.

In the last few years, India's Dhubri port has emerged as a transit port for commodity transport to Bangladesh.

Inland waterways are considered the cleanest and cheapest mode for cargo transport compared to railways and roadways.

The river waterway system between India and Bangladesh has seen renewed focus in the last few years in order to enhance cargo transport between north east India and the rest of the country via Bangladesh.

According to a statement of India's Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, issued in March, to improve the navigability, two stretches of Indo-Bangladesh Protocol routes -- Sirajganj-Daikhowa and Ashuganj-Zakiganj -- are being developed at a cost of Rs305.84 crore (Rs1- Tk1.25) and the development of these stretches is expected to provide seamless navigation to northeast India via the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route.

 

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The Mongla Port Authority has appointed Egis India Consulting Engineers Pvt Ltd as the consultant for the Upgradation of Mongla Port Project, taken to increase the port's capacity to meet the growing demand.

The Mongla Port Authority and Egis India signed an agreement in this regard at a hotel in the capital yesterday.

The project involving Tk6,014 crore is scheduled to end in July 2024.

Of the total project cost, the Bangladesh government will provide Tk1,555 crore while the Indian government will provide Tk4,459 crore as soft loan.

State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, chief guest at the signing event, said upgradation of Mongla port will take its capacity close to that of Chattogram port. It will be developed as an alternative to Chittagong port.

Along with Bangladesh, the neighboring countries will also benefit from the upgradation as business and trade will expand and employment opportunities will be created, he added.

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma, who was a special guest at the event, said Bangladesh is India's largest development partner in terms of financial value and number of projects. About one-fourth of India's global development assistance has been extended to a number of projects across various sectors in Bangladesh.

This strong development cooperation is a reflection of India's commitment to partnership with Bangladesh towards greater growth and prosperity, he said.

He emphasised that various connectivity projects like the one in Mongla port, if completed, would have a transformative impact not only on the India-Bangladesh relationship but also on the economy of the entire region.

The project includes construction of a 600-metre parking yard, a large multistorey garage for car parking, a four-lane road with a drainage system, a shipyard, a flyover and expansion of two jetties with container facilities.

Implementing the upgradation project will enable the Mongla port to handle 1,800 ships, 1.5 million tonnes of cargo, 4 lakh TEUs of containers and 10,000 vehicles annually.

Moreover, it is expected to increase the annual income of the port by Tk150 crore and the income of customs and other agencies by Tk3,000 crore per year.

 

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This is an issue that continues to test the friendship between these two nations


DHAKA TRIBUNE
Tribune Editorial
December 29, 2022 2:00 PM
The fact that two Bangladeshis have been allegedly shot dead by members of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) along Dolpara border in Hatibandha upazila of Lalmonirhat district this week is, unfortunately, no longer surprising. What it is, however, is saddening and disappointing.

There is no questioning the deep ties and friendship India and Bangladesh share, and have always shared, since our inception as a nation. There is no denying that India's assistance during our Liberation War was the catalyst that helped us become a free nation.

However, despite ties between the two countries remaining as strong as ever, it is disheartening to see just the alarming regularity with which we hear news of some Bangladeshi being shot at along the border by the Indian border securities.

Despite numerous discussions, and past assurances from New Delhi that there will no longer be any further border killings, the fact remains that about 1,200 Bangladeshis have been killed along the border over the past two decades, with no clear signs of that number reducing.

While there should be zero tolerance for illegal activity along the borders, Bangladesh can certainly expect India to not simply open fire with no hesitation at mostly innocent civilians.

On the part of India, there can be legitimate questions about whether there is the right political will and intent to stop these border killings, and concerns that the numerous remarks and statements made by Indian leaders may have just been empty promises.

This is an issue that continues to test the friendship that undoubtedly exists between these two nations. We hope that it is an issue that gets resolved as soon as possible, so that both nations may reap the benefits of mutual cooperation.

@Nilgiri what do you think solution to the problem?
 
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This is an issue that continues to test the friendship between these two nations


DHAKA TRIBUNE
Tribune Editorial
December 29, 2022 2:00 PM
The fact that two Bangladeshis have been allegedly shot dead by members of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) along Dolpara border in Hatibandha upazila of Lalmonirhat district this week is, unfortunately, no longer surprising. What it is, however, is saddening and disappointing.

There is no questioning the deep ties and friendship India and Bangladesh share, and have always shared, since our inception as a nation. There is no denying that India's assistance during our Liberation War was the catalyst that helped us become a free nation.

However, despite ties between the two countries remaining as strong as ever, it is disheartening to see just the alarming regularity with which we hear news of some Bangladeshi being shot at along the border by the Indian border securities.

Despite numerous discussions, and past assurances from New Delhi that there will no longer be any further border killings, the fact remains that about 1,200 Bangladeshis have been killed along the border over the past two decades, with no clear signs of that number reducing.

While there should be zero tolerance for illegal activity along the borders, Bangladesh can certainly expect India to not simply open fire with no hesitation at mostly innocent civilians.

On the part of India, there can be legitimate questions about whether there is the right political will and intent to stop these border killings, and concerns that the numerous remarks and statements made by Indian leaders may have just been empty promises.

This is an issue that continues to test the friendship that undoubtedly exists between these two nations. We hope that it is an issue that gets resolved as soon as possible, so that both nations may reap the benefits of mutual cooperation.

@Nilgiri what do you think solution to the problem?

I really don't know about the solution.

The problem is complicated one whenever you have high density populations and a border running right through it.

The long term solution will only be better economy, wealth and law and order effectiveness on both sides.....to build up more trust and peace in genuine way.
 

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