Finance Minister AMA Muhith has indicated that necessary cost and fee for providing transit facility to another country to be fixed as per the World Trade Organization’s (WTO’s) policy.
The Finance Minister said this while replying to a query from a journalist at his ministry on Sunday.
He said the cost would be meant for providing the facility for transit in addition to the fee.
Citing an example, he said, for going to Bhutan, there is a need for improving the road infrastructures as well as setting up transmission lines for power sharing.
The Finance Minister said the government alongside the other neighbouring countries has taken a big step towards regional integration.
In this connection, he said during the period of then Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Bangladesh had completed its negotiations with Nepal and Bhutan on power sharing and transmission.
After the assumption of power by the BJP government with Narendra Modi as the Indian Prime Minister, Bangladesh would finalize the matter with all the countries concerned and the thing would go through.
Asked whether the Bangladeshi ports are ready enough for transit, he said that the ChittagongPort is fully ready while work is underway to develop the MonglaPort as it would also be used for coal import.
Replying to another question about the Tariff Commission Report of 2010 regarding transit, the Finance Minister said although the report was correct in principle, but the calculation was absolutely absurd.
Besides, Muhith said necessary infrastructures in other countries would also have to be improved. “So, I think it would take about one year’s time to have the actual impact and by this time the necessary infrastructures would be ready,”- UNB
