NEF, CUTS Int’l hold BBN MVA informative session

KATHMANDU: An informative session regarding Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA) was held in Kathmandu, on June 7. The session was jointly organised by Nepal Economic Forum (NEF) and CUTS International (Consumer Unity & Trust Society) with an aim to inform about the progress and shortcoming of the BBIN MVA initiative. The history of BBIN MVA can be traced back to a proposal put forward during the SAARC summit in Kathmandu in 2014 to sign the SAARC MVA but it could not be signed due to reservations raised by Pakistan. Later in June 2015, the BBIN MVA was signed to enable the seamless movement of cargo and passenger vehicles across the borders of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal. However, even after seven years of the agreement, it has not been implemented yet. The initiative aims to increase cross-border trade, expand economic activities, expand tourism through increased passenger movement, generate employment opportunities, improve economic integration among the countries through the smooth flow of vehicles across this sub-region and contribute to cheaper and more sustainable logistics. Talking about the current status of the BBIN initiative, Bangladesh, India and Nepal ratified the agreement while Bhutan withheld its ratification citing environmental concerns, giving its consent to implement the agreement among the three countries. And in March 2022, member countries finalised the enabling memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the implementation of BBIN MVA among the three countries. The meeting also agreed to operate the transport routes’ Kakarbhitta – Kolkata - Dhaka or Biratnagar - Kolkata, or both, in the next six months and Sub-Committees have been formed to discuss the modalities of the protocols. During the session, the stakeholders also mentioned that media houses and research organisations have been unable to provide enough focus on cross-border trade and the issues surrounding it. Even the on-ground stakeholders lack awareness of the benefit of implementation of BBIN MVA in terms of benefits of using containerisation or tamper proof cargo movement. READ ALSO:

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