(BBIN) Motor Vehicle Agreement for the Regulation of Passenger, Personal and Cargo Vehicular Traffic

[Hindustani78]

Cabinet10-June, 2015 13:59 IST
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicle Agreement for the Regulation of Passenger, Personal and Cargo Vehicular Traffic amongst BBIN

The Cabinet has approved signing of the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicle Agreement for the Regulation of Passenger, Personal and Cargo Vehicular Traffic amongst BBIN. The agreement will be signed on 15th June at the BBIN Transport Minister’s meeting in Thimpu, Bhutan.

Signing of the BBIN agreement will promote safe, economical efficient and environmentally sound road transport in the sub-region and will further help each country in creating an institutional mechanism for regional integration. BBIN countries will be benefited by mutual cross border movement of passenger and goods for overall economic development of the region. The people of the four countries will benefit through seamless movement of goods and passenger across borders.

Each Party will bear its own costs arising from implementation of this agreement.

A meeting of Secretaries of Transport of the BBIN countries was organized by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highway (MoRTH) in February 2015 to discuss and finalize the text of the draft BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement, which is similar to the SAARC Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) draft with minor changes.

Background:

The Union Cabinet had approved a proposal to sign the SAARC MVA during the SAARC Summit in Kathmandu in November 2014. Unfortunately, it could not be signed due to reservations of Pakistan. The SAARC declaration at the Kathmandu Summit in November 2014 also encouraged Member States to initiate regional and sub-regional measures to enhance connectivity. Accordingly, it was considered appropriate that a sub-regional Motor Vehicle Agreement among Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) may be pursued.

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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
10-June, 2015 16:00 IST
Shri Nitin Gadkari to Visit Bhutan for Signing BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement


The Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Shri Nitin Gadkari will visit Bhutan from June 14 to sign a landmark BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal) Motor Vehicle Agreement for the regulation of passenger, personal and cargo vehicular traffic amongst four SAARC countries. The Transport Ministers of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) will sign the agreement at their meeting in Thimphu on June 15. Earlier, the Union Cabinet, at a meeting presided over by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, approved the proposed Motor Vehicle Agreement amongst four countries.

A SAARC Motor Vehicle Agreement was approved during the SAARC Summit in Kathmandu in November 2014. Unfortunately, it could not be signed due to reservations of Pakistan. The SAARC Declaration at Kathmandu summit also encouraged Member States to initiate regional and sub-regional measures to enhance connectivity. Accordingly, it was considered appropriate that a sub-regional Motor Vehicle Agreement among Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) may be pursued.

A meeting of Secretaries of Transport of BBIN countries was organised by Ministry of Road Transport & Highways in February 2015 to discuss and finalize the text of the draft BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement, which is similar to SAARC MVA Draft with some minor changes.

The signing of BBIN agreement would promote safe, economical, efficient and environmentally sound road transport in the sub-region and would further help each country in creating an institutional mechanism for regional integration. BBIN countries would be benefited by mutual cross-border movement of passenger and goods for overall economic development of the region. Each member state of the BBIN sub-regional grouping would bear its own costs arising from implementation of this agreement which will go a long way in cementing regional cooperation and enhancing trade among member states.

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[GR!FF!N]

what exactly its all about?new roads joining each other through other's territory?

 

[bongbang]

what exactly its all about?new roads joining each other through other's territory?

Im hearing they will freely move in these territories with personal vehicles with a token.

 

[Hindustani78]

what exactly its all about?new roads joining each other through other's territory?

The proposed SAARC Motor Vehicle Agreement would allow seamless transit of passenger, personal and cargo vehicles to travel along designated key routes in the four SAARC countries without the need for trans-shipment of goods and passengers at the border crossings across SAARC member States and this could be a path breaking endeavour as with better transport linkages and efficient management of border-crossings, South Asia can facilitate intraregional trade. The agreement would reduce the costly and time-consuming unloading and loading of people and goods at border crossing points making cross-border trade more efficient and would likely to result in closer regional economic cooperation and integration through enhanced regional connectivity by allowing movement of goods and passengers in the region through road transport subject to various terms and conditions in the agreement.

Motor Vehicle Agreement also provides for movement of private vehicles and non-regular passenger vehicles across the border. Such private and non-regular passenger vehicles would be entitled to use all established entry and exit points in the agreed upon framework envisaged under the Draft Agreement.

 

[GR!FF!N]

The proposed SAARC Motor Vehicle Agreement would allow seamless transit of passenger, personal and cargo vehicles to travel along designated key routes in the four SAARC countries without the need for trans-shipment of goods and passengers at the border crossings across SAARC member States and this could be a path breaking endeavour as with better transport linkages and efficient management of border-crossings, South Asia can facilitate intraregional trade. The agreement would reduce the costly and time-consuming unloading and loading of people and goods at border crossing points making cross-border trade more efficient and would likely to result in closer regional economic cooperation and integration through enhanced regional connectivity by allowing movement of goods and passengers in the region through road transport subject to various terms and conditions in the agreement.

Motor Vehicle Agreement also provides for movement of private vehicles and non-regular passenger vehicles across the border. Such private and non-regular passenger vehicles would be entitled to use all established entry and exit points in the agreed upon framework envisaged under the Draft Agreement.

Damn,the prospects of this agreement is massive..

I wonder if that enables us to send cargo and people to N-E using Bangladesh's Infrastructures.

 

[Makaramarma]

Damn,the prospects of this agreement is massive..

I wonder if that enables us to send cargo and people to N-E using Bangladesh's Infrastructures.

IT most certainly will.

N.E will now be directly accessible from BD. This also means a massive chunk of Lungies will now pour into India without pole vaulting

Hopefully legal migration is better than illegal migration.

 

[GR!FF!N]

IT most certainly will.

N.E will now be directly accessible from BD. This also means a massive chunk of Lungies will now pour into India without pole vaulting

Hopefully legal migration is better than illegal migration.

Dumping them back into BD will be easier too...

 

[Makaramarma]

Dumping them back into BD will be easier too...

Yes. Legal migration ensures we have their finger print and photographs and address details. Better still BD govt. will acknowledge them as BD citizens.

 

[Hindustani78]

Nepal to sign BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement | Zee News
Last Updated: Friday, June 12, 2015 - 19:21

Kathmandu: The Nepal government has decided to sign the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicles Agreement in Bhutanese capital Thimphu on Monday for the regulation of passenger, personal and cargo vehicular traffic amongst four SAARC countries.

Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Management Bimalendra Nidhi will sign the agreement on behalf of the Nepal government.

"With approval from the cabinet, I am travelling to Thimphu to sign the motor vehicles agreement. The agreement is nothing other than the Saarc Motor Vehicles Agreement," Nidhi told IANS.

This new agreement is expected to help revive the stalled South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation motor vehicles agreement, the meeting for which could not take place after the devastating earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25.

"This new agreement is neither alternative nor parallel to the Saarc motor vehicle agreement. The Saarc itself has mandated to the member states to initiate bilateral, trilateral or sub-regional cooperation on various mutually beneficial areas," said Nidhi, who is travelling along with his secretary, Tulshi Prasad Situala, to Bhutan on Saturday.

The agreement will be signed on Monday preceded by a secretary-level meeting on Sunday that will make all necessary preparations for the agreement.

"We are still negotiating for Saarc motor vehicles agreement as early as possible but due to the April 25 earthquake, we could not convene the meeting," said Nidhi.

The proposed Saarc motor vehicles agreement was approved during the Saarc Summit in Kathmandu in November 2014.

But it could not be signed due to reservations of Pakistan. The Saarc Declaration in the Kathmandu summit also encouraged member states to initiate regional and sub-regional measures to enhance connectivity. Accordingly, it was considered appropriate that a sub-regional motor vehicle agreement among Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) may be pursued.

A meeting of secretaries of transport of the BBIN countries was organized by Nepal`s ministry of road transport and highways in February 2015 to discuss and finalise the text of the draft BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement.

The signing of BBIN agreement would promote safe, economical, efficient and environmentally sound road transport in the region and would further help each country in creating an institutional mechanism for regional integration.

BBIN countries would be benefited by mutual cross-border movement of passenger and goods for overall economic development of the region. Each member state of the BBIN sub-regional grouping would bear its own costs arising from implementation of this agreement which will go a long way in cementing regional cooperation and enhancing trade among member states.

IANS

 

[Hindustani78]

The Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and Shipping, Shri Nitin Gadkari with the Minister of Road Transport and Bridges, Bangladesh, Mr. Obaidul Quader, the Minister of Information and Communications, Bhutan, Mr. Lyonpo D.N. Dhungyel and the Minister of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Nepal, Mr. Bimalendra Nidhi on the occasion of signing of the Motor Vehicles Agreement for the Regulation of Passenger, Personal and Cargo Vehicular Traffic between Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal, in Thimphu, Bhutan on June 15, 2015.

 

[SrNair]

Pakistan tried for some other nations membership and now they are totally out of game.

 

[Hindustani78]

Pakistan tried for some other nations membership and now they are totally out of game.

Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
15-June, 2015 17:38 IST
India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh Sign a landmark Motor Vehicles Agreement for seamless movement of road traffic among Four SAARC Countries in Thimpu

India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh signed a landmark Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA) for the Regulation of Passenger, Personnel and Cargo Vehicular Traffic among the four South Asian neighbours in Thimpu, Bhutan today. The MVA agreement between sub-grouping of four SAARC nations, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) will pave the way for a seamless movement of people and goods across their borders for the benefit and integration of the region and its economic development. The BBIN MVA Agreement was signed by the Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Mr. Nitin Gadkari on behalf of India.

Mr. Gadkari headed the Indian delegation at the Transport Ministers conference of the BBIN. Others who participated included Mr. Obaidul Quader, Minister of Road Transport and Bridges of Bangladesh, Mr. Lyonpo D. N. Dhungyel, Minister of Information and Communications, Bhutan, and Mr. Bimalendra Nidhi, Minister of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Nepal.

Earlier, addressing the BBIN Transport Ministers conference, Mr. Nitin Gadkari said, “This indeed is a momentous achievement for all the four neighbours. This historic agreement will further promote our cooperation in trade and commerce apart from further cementing our age old cultural ties.” Mr. Gadkari further said, “The Motor Vehicles Agreement is the “Over arching” frame work to fulfill our commitment to enhance regional connectivity. This will need to be followed through with formulation of the required protocols and procedures in the shortest time possible to realize the ultimate objective of free movement of people and goods in the region. This would further need to be supplemented through building and upgrading roads, railways and waterways infrastructure energy Grids, communications and air links to ensure smooth cross border flow of goods, services, capital, technology and people. Taken together, this provides enormous opportunity for integration and development of our region.”

Mentioning about the initiative to strengthen connectivity of the sub-region to ASEAN, the Minister said, “In this regard a major breakthrough has been achieved between India-Myanmar and Thailand. Three nations have agreed to develop a similar framework motor vehicle agreement on the lines of draft SAARC Motor vehicle agreement. Secretary level discussions were successfully concluded in Bengaluru this month and consensus has been reached on the text of Agreement. On conclusion of this Agreement, our sub-region will get access to the larger ASEAN market through seamless passenger and cargo movement.”

In a joint statement released on the occasion, the Minister of the four countries acknowledged, “The finalization of the BBIN MVA would allow us to move forward, in an accelerated fashion, with implementation of land transport facilitation arrangements between and among our countries. This, in turn, would enable the exchange of traffic rights and ease cross-border movement of goods, vehicles, and people, thereby helping expand people-to-people contact, trade, and economic exchanges between our countries. We will endeavor to accelerate the preparatory steps for the effective and sustainable implementation of the BBIN MVA, starting with the formulation, negotiation, and finalization of the necessary legal instruments and operating procedures. We recognize that the BBIN MVA is a complementary instrument to the existing transport agreements or arrangements at the bilateral levels that the Contracting Parties will continue to honor. Implementation difficulties, if any, will be resolved based on provisions of the BBIN MVA.”

Taking note of the finding that transforming transport corridors into economic corridors could potentially increase intraregional trade within South Asia by almost 60% and with the rest of the world by over 30%, the joint statement read, “We acknowledge that apart from physical infrastructure, the development of economic corridors within and between our countries requires the implementation of policy and regulatory measures, including the BBIN MVA, which will help address the nonphysical impediments to the seamless movement of goods vehicles and people between our four countries.”

A BBIN Friendship Motor Rally is planned to be held in October 2015 to highlight the sub-regional connectivity and the scope and opportunities for greater people-to-people contact and trade under the BBIN initiative.

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[Hindustani78]

Heavy rush of visitors can be seen at historical Charminar during summer holidays. (Photo: Zabi)

 

[Sliver]

is this going to be connected to Myanmar in the future?