'Bangladesh's a right to charge transit fee'
Mon, Apr 25th, 2011 7:23 pm BdST
Sheikh Shahariar Zaman
Dhaka, Apr 25 (bdnews24.com) – Bangladesh has every right to demand a toll or usage fee for providing transit facility, says the foreign advisor to prime minister.
In an interview with bdnews24.com, Syed Gowher Rizvi said the amount was usually to cover the cost of maintaining and improving the infrastructure facilities for connectivity.
"…India, Nepal and Bhutan will pay such charges that Bangladesh deems appropriate," he said.
He stressed there had never been any question of Bangladesh offering connectivity facilities without fee.
"Nor in all fairness India, Bhutan or Nepal have ever made such a request," he said.
The advisor said one "must not kill the goose that lays the golden eggs" and in determining the rates, a country should not set prices that were so prohibitive as to drive away the traffic.
He criticised the idea that countries using the Bangladesh's connectivity facilities should share a part of their savings on the cost of transportation with Bangladesh.
"This argument is tantamount to saying that all those ships that use the Suez Canals should pay to Egypt a share of the savings that is accrued by avoiding the longer route via the Cape of Good Hope," he pointed out.
Cooperation among neighbours
Future of Bangladesh and the future of South Asia lay in working together and cooperation, and not confrontation, Rizvi said.
"The future lies in cooperative development – in promoting regional and sub-regional cooperation, integration and interdependence."
The problems facing the region today, including poverty, water scarcity, global warming, terrorism, human trafficking and food security, were multinational and trans-national problems, he said.
"These problems defy unilateral national solutions and require regional and cross border efforts," he suggested.
Mutual benefit
The connectivity would strengthen the stakes of the neighbours in prosperity, stability and security of Bangladesh, he felt.
"It (cooperation) will attract investments, create jobs, bring services and enhance Bangladesh's status internationally, both in tangible and intangible ways," he added.
He, however, cautioned that all this would not happen automatically or over night.
"We have to create an environment in which our trading partners will feel secure to use our facilities," he said.
"Our facilities will have to meet the international standards and we will have to develop protocols, agreements and institutional arrangements, so that we can safeguard our interests."
The advisor said it was a must to break out of the existing intellectual jacket – a troubling legacy from the Pakistani days – of viewing the situation in terms of a zero-sum game.
"Our focus has to be on what we as a nation gain and not be too overtly concerned with what others derive," he said.
Govt position
Connectivity lies at the core of the prime minister's vision 2021 to make Bangladesh a middle-income nation, the advisor said.
"A major purpose of the 'Digital Bangladesh' is to improve the quality of life and bring prosperity to the people by harnessing greater connectivity through information technology," he said.
"Bangladesh is a rapidly developing country that is expanding its industrial and agricultural production and constantly searching for markets to export its surplus products."
China and India are attractive markets of over two-and-a-half billion people with considerable purchasing power, he said adding, "But we have not been able to take full advantage of that largely because of poor connectivity."
If the connectivity could be developed, trade, goods and people would flow, making it attractive for other countries to use the facilities, he said.
"At the same time, improved connectivity would also enable us penetrate India, especially the northeast, and Myanmar, Southeast Asia and China," he added.
"The more we are connected physically and virtually, the better we are placed to take advantage of the global markets, trade, investment, knowledge, services and goods," the advisor said.
BD-India communiqué
"Prime minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India in 2010 restored and augmented the prospects of improving our transport infrastructure," Rizvi said.
It also opened up the door for enhanced regional trade, investment, revenue and employment opportunities for Bangladesh, he said.
Nepal and Bhutan would now be able to export to third countries through Bangladesh ports and in the process southwest of the country would be more firmly integrated to the rest of the country, he added.
Bangladesh's a right to charge transit fee | Business | bdnews24.com
Mon, Apr 25th, 2011 7:23 pm BdST
Sheikh Shahariar Zaman
Dhaka, Apr 25 (bdnews24.com) – Bangladesh has every right to demand a toll or usage fee for providing transit facility, says the foreign advisor to prime minister.
In an interview with bdnews24.com, Syed Gowher Rizvi said the amount was usually to cover the cost of maintaining and improving the infrastructure facilities for connectivity.
"…India, Nepal and Bhutan will pay such charges that Bangladesh deems appropriate," he said.
He stressed there had never been any question of Bangladesh offering connectivity facilities without fee.
"Nor in all fairness India, Bhutan or Nepal have ever made such a request," he said.
The advisor said one "must not kill the goose that lays the golden eggs" and in determining the rates, a country should not set prices that were so prohibitive as to drive away the traffic.
He criticised the idea that countries using the Bangladesh's connectivity facilities should share a part of their savings on the cost of transportation with Bangladesh.
"This argument is tantamount to saying that all those ships that use the Suez Canals should pay to Egypt a share of the savings that is accrued by avoiding the longer route via the Cape of Good Hope," he pointed out.
Cooperation among neighbours
Future of Bangladesh and the future of South Asia lay in working together and cooperation, and not confrontation, Rizvi said.
"The future lies in cooperative development – in promoting regional and sub-regional cooperation, integration and interdependence."
The problems facing the region today, including poverty, water scarcity, global warming, terrorism, human trafficking and food security, were multinational and trans-national problems, he said.
"These problems defy unilateral national solutions and require regional and cross border efforts," he suggested.
Mutual benefit
The connectivity would strengthen the stakes of the neighbours in prosperity, stability and security of Bangladesh, he felt.
"It (cooperation) will attract investments, create jobs, bring services and enhance Bangladesh's status internationally, both in tangible and intangible ways," he added.
He, however, cautioned that all this would not happen automatically or over night.
"We have to create an environment in which our trading partners will feel secure to use our facilities," he said.
"Our facilities will have to meet the international standards and we will have to develop protocols, agreements and institutional arrangements, so that we can safeguard our interests."
The advisor said it was a must to break out of the existing intellectual jacket – a troubling legacy from the Pakistani days – of viewing the situation in terms of a zero-sum game.
"Our focus has to be on what we as a nation gain and not be too overtly concerned with what others derive," he said.
Govt position
Connectivity lies at the core of the prime minister's vision 2021 to make Bangladesh a middle-income nation, the advisor said.
"A major purpose of the 'Digital Bangladesh' is to improve the quality of life and bring prosperity to the people by harnessing greater connectivity through information technology," he said.
"Bangladesh is a rapidly developing country that is expanding its industrial and agricultural production and constantly searching for markets to export its surplus products."
China and India are attractive markets of over two-and-a-half billion people with considerable purchasing power, he said adding, "But we have not been able to take full advantage of that largely because of poor connectivity."
If the connectivity could be developed, trade, goods and people would flow, making it attractive for other countries to use the facilities, he said.
"At the same time, improved connectivity would also enable us penetrate India, especially the northeast, and Myanmar, Southeast Asia and China," he added.
"The more we are connected physically and virtually, the better we are placed to take advantage of the global markets, trade, investment, knowledge, services and goods," the advisor said.
BD-India communiqué
"Prime minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India in 2010 restored and augmented the prospects of improving our transport infrastructure," Rizvi said.
It also opened up the door for enhanced regional trade, investment, revenue and employment opportunities for Bangladesh, he said.
Nepal and Bhutan would now be able to export to third countries through Bangladesh ports and in the process southwest of the country would be more firmly integrated to the rest of the country, he added.
Bangladesh's a right to charge transit fee | Business | bdnews24.com
