NEW DELHI, June 15 � Soon, hassle-free vehicular movement among Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) will become a reality, with these countries today endorsing the Motor Vehicles (MV) Agreement for the Regulation of Passenger, Personal and Cargo Vehicular Traffic.
The BBIN MVA, drafted on the lines of the SAARC MVA, envisages allowing the four countries to accelerate the implementation of land transport facilitation arrangements between and among the countries. This would enable the exchange of traffic rights and ease cross-border movement of goods, vehicles and people, thereby helping expand people-to-people contacts, trade, and economic exchanges between the countries.
The north-eastern states � including Assam, which has road connectivity with Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal via North Bengal � are likely to benefit the most out of the agreement signed today.
�The four nations will endeavour to carry out a six-month work plan from July to December for implementation of the BBIN MVA in accordance with the following activities and milestones,� it said.
�We will endeavour to accelerate the preparatory steps for the effective and sustainable implementation of the BBIN MVA, starting with the formulation, negotiation, and finalisation of the necessary legal instruments and operating procedures,� a joint statement said.
The agreement was signed by Minister of Road Transport and Bridges Bangladesh, Obaidul Quader; Minister of Information and Communications Bhutan, Lyonpo D N Dhungyel; Minister of Road Transport and Highways and Shipping Nitin Jairam Gadkari and Minister of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Nepal Bimalendra Nidhi in Thimphu today.
A BBIN Friendship Motor Rally is planned to be held in October to highlight the sub-regional connectivity and the scope and opportunities for greater people-to-people contacts and trade under the BBIN initiative. Today the route survey for the rally was flagged off.
