Dhaka ignores existing protocol, allows Delhi to use heavy vehicles for transshipment of cargoes
Dhaka, Sept 16 (APP):Bangladesh has finally yielded to the Indian demand of Over Dimensional Cargo (ODC) movement through Bangladesh territory bypassing the existing Protocol on River Transit and Trade signed between the two countries. The use of Bangladeshi transports for the purpose of transshipment of cargo from the port of call to the international boundary was made mandatory in the Article 11 of the Protocol of the River Transit and Trade.
But under the ODC, the Indian side would use their own logistics for transshipment purpose from the Ashuganj port to Akhaura-Senarbodi land port.The Indian side had pleaded for such extra facilities in the year 2006 but Bangladesh did not agree at that time to go beyond the scope of the River Transit Protocol.
Even the army-controlled last caretaker regime, headed by Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed, had refused to concede the Indian demand because the cargo to be transported from the port of call to the international boundary under the ODC would be bulky and Bangladesh lacks necessary infrastructures to support the ODC movement.
The 50-kilometer road infrastructure between the Ashuganj to Akhaura-Senarbodi land port is not suitable for the movement of heavy cargo trailers for which the previous government rejected the Indian proposal, officials said Thursday. The width of the road is around 25 feet whereas the width of the Indian cargo trailer is around 22 feet. The movement of Bangladeshi vehicles from either side would stop when the Indian cargo trailer would run.
Almost all the culverts and bridges on the 50-kilometer road would not be able to endure the pressure of the huge Indian cargo trailers. As a result, new diversion roads have to be built. Moreover 15-kilometer link road from Akhaura to the border is so narrow that it is not fit for cargo trailer movement, they pointed out.
The ONGC has appointed Monayem Bangladesh Ltd. as contractor for construction of the necessary diversion road and modification of the 15-kilometer narrow road network The concerned officials stiffly opposed allowing the movement of Indian huge cargo trailers without development of suitable road network but to no avail.India wants to start the ODC movement from November next facilitating transshipment of equipment for 1,000 megawatt Tripura power plant.
The development of the road network suitable for the huge trailer movement would require minimum one-year.
The officials also warned of the negative reaction from the common man as the movement of Bangladeshi vehicles would stop when the cargo trailer would use the narrow road network.
Some irrigation facilities might also be disturbed seriously for construction of diversion roads, the officials said.It was learnt that the Awami League government, headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has asked local members of the Bangladesh Parliament belonging to the grand alliance, to create public opinion in favour of the Indian cargo trailer movement.
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