NE trade bodies happy over PM Modi’s Bangladesh trade pacts

Barthakur said, “In the North-east, the biggest developmental hurdle that we face today is that of connectivity. The renewal of the protocol on Inland Water Transit & Trade and the MOU on Chittagong port will go a long way in removing the connectivity bottleneck that the region faces. The starting of bus service between Guwahati and Dhaka as also between Agartala and Kolkata via Dhaka will give a major impetus to development and trade in the Northeast.”

Pointing out that the improving relations between the two countries should be leveraged to create seamless connectivity through Bangladesh by road, river and railway and undo some of the economic injustice that North East India had to face because of the partition in 1947, Barthakur also hailed the decision to set up a Bangladeshi Consulate in Guwahati and Indian Consulate in Sylhet.

The agreement for leasing of international bandwidth for internet at Akhaura would also have far-reaching implications for the IT industry in the region, he said. “One of the primary reasons for underdevelopment of the IT & ITES industry in the Northeast, despite having great potential, has been the lack of dependable internet connectivity. The direct access to the international gateway that this agreement will in itself be a major boost to the IT industry,” Barthakur said.

Meanwhile, RS Joshi, president of the Federation of Industry & Commerce, North-Eastern Region (FINER) said signing the agreement on India’s long-pending request for transit rights through Bangladesh during Prime Minister Modi’s maiden visit to Bangladesh would directly impact upon the economy of the Northeast.

“The agreement which focuses on connectivity by road, rail, river, sea, transmission lines, petroleum pipelines and digital links, will lead to tremendous economic activities and provide a real boost to cross-border trade between Bangladesh and Northeast India. It will usher in a never-before win-win situation for all, particularly for the land-locked Northeastern region. This transit right agreement will not only give the India better access to its own Northeastern states, but also use the region to further connect to Southeast Asia and even South Western China,” Joshi said.