Bangladesh hugely contributing to India's economy: B'desh minister

Bangladesh has been contributing immensely to the economy of India, in particular in the northeast region. The under construction infrastructure projects are going to be engines of growth not only for Bangladesh, but also for Nepal, Bhutan and the northeast as these could be used by them, Bangladesh minister of state for foreign affairs Shahriar Alam said here on Wednesday.

The minister said that the under construction Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel under the Karnaphuli river, the first of its kind in South Asia, the Matarbari and Payra deep sea port, the Matarbari coal-fired power plant with an electricity generation capacity of 1,200 MW, the third terminal of the Hazrat Shahjalal international airport in Dhaka, and the Padma bridge rail link project will all benefit northeast India, Nepal and Bhutan to a great extent.

India receives the highest number of tourists, including medical tourists, from Bangladesh, he told the media.

Thousands of Indians are working in various service sectors in Bangladesh that has become one of the largest sources of inward remittance for India, said Alam, who addressed a conclave in Agartala.

Alam said that last month, the Prime Ministers of India and Bangladesh had jointly inaugurated the 'India Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline' by which Bangladesh's diesel imports from India have increased manifold at a much cheaper price.

"The total trade between the two countries has increased three-fold during the last decade while there remains huge untapped potential.

"We should enhance the bilateral trade in a balanced manner removing the tariff and non-tariff barriers, develop and modernise the infrastructure along the border," he said.

The minister said that being geographically contiguous, Bangladesh and northeast India are much more than just next door neighbours.

He said that in a bid to accelerate shared economic growth, India and Bangladesh have agreed to restore the pre-1965 connectivity linkages through rail, road, ports and inland waterways.

The Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade of 1972 was the first instrument that offered India the use of Bangladesh's inland waterways for carrying goods from other parts of India to the northeastern region, Alam pointed out.

The two countries have signed an Agreement on the use of Chattogram and Mongla port for movement of goods to and from India.

At the request of India, particularly the government of former Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina extended all support for construction of the "Maitree Bridge" over the Feni river in southern Tripura's Sabroom. This would allow India's northeastern states' easy access to Chattogram port using Bangladesh territory, the minister said.

Bangladesh is keen to be connected with the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway (IMTTH) to connect herself with South East Asia, the minister said and hoped that India would facilitate their entry into this trilateral highway that has suffered a setback due to the political situation in Myanmar.

The Chattogram port and the Matarbari deep sea port have the potential to become a regional hub for connecting the land-locked northeast India through Bangladesh to the Bay of Bengal and onward.

The greater involvement of Japan will pave the way for comprehensive development particularly for Bangladesh and northeast India, Alam said.