[ALOCHONA] Rail Transit to Nepal :Delhi yet to respond about Rohanpur-Singabad point

Rail Transit to Nepal :Delhi yet to respond about Rahanpur-Singabad point

India is yet to respond to Bangladesh's request for rail transit to Nepal for fertiliser export as was agreed between the two countries in January 2010.Communications ministry officials said about two months ago Dhaka asked for New Delhi's nod to shipment of 50,000 tonnes of urea from Bangladesh to Nepal by rail through Indian territories.But the Indian mission in Dhaka has not yet sent any reply to the two letters in this regard.Bangladesh, India and Nepal signed a tripartite agreement in 1997 on export of goods from Bangladesh to Nepal by rail.

"We wrote two letters in February and March, requesting our friendly neighbour [India] to allow shipment of fertiliser to Nepal via Indian territories. But we are yet to get their reply, Bangladesh Railway's Additional Director (operation) Mohammad Shahjahan told daily sun on Thursday.The Indian High Commission official dealing with the press, however, said he is not aware of the matter.

Sources in the communications ministry and railway said Bangladesh Railway sent the letters to the Indian government after Desh Trading requisitioned railway wagons for exporting 50,000 tonnes of urea through Rahanpur-Singabad rail link.Bangladesh Railway then requested the Indian government to allow the shipment as per the Bangladesh-India joint communique signed on 11 January 2010 during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to New Delhi.

Hasina and her Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh signed the joint communique, agreeing on railway transit through the Rahanpur-Singabad point to Jogobani on India-Nepal border via India's Malda, Kumetpur and Katihar stations.

Sources in the communications ministry said the Indian officials informally gave hints of their position on fertiliser export to Nepal in 2005.India allowed Bangladesh Railway to export 35,000 tonnes of fertiliser to Nepal through the Rahanpur-Singabad point, instead of the Birol-Radhikapur route, in 2005. It, however, rejected shipment of another 10,000 tonnes the same year.Bangladesh has since been unable to trade with Nepal by rail.

The 1997 tripartite agreement refers to Birol-Radhikapur as the railway transit point, but the route was closed as India converted its tracks into broad gauge, which became incompatible with Bangladesh's metre gauge lines.Railway sources said Bangladesh and Nepal used to carry at least 500,000 tonnes of goods by rail every year through the Birol-Radhikapur point.To resume the transit trade, the 2010 joint communique said the two countries could use the Rahanapur-Singabad point for rail transit.Both the countries have broad gauge lines at the point.

http://www.daily-sun.com/?view=details&type=daily_sun_news&pub_no=160&cat_id=1&menu_id=1&news_type_id=1&index=1&archiev=yes&arch_date=18-03-2011

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