Indo-Bangla meetings of shipping secretaries begin

A two-day meeting of shipping secretaries of Bangladesh and India started at Intercontinental Hotel in Dhaka today.

On the first day, meetings of the standing committee of the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT) and intergovernmental committee took place, according to a press release.

Sheikh Md Sharif Uddin, additional shipping secretary of Bangladesh, and Sanjay Bandopadhyay, chairman of Inland Waterways Authority of India, led the teams of the two countries.

India had nine agendas to discuss in the intergovernmental committee meeting.

The agendas include inclusion of Sabroom via Ramgarh and vice versa as additional route under the Agreement for use of Chattogram and Mongla Ports (ACMP) on the use of Chattogram and Mongla ports, faster berthing and facilitation of vessels using the route, reducing the cost of cargo movement in the ACMP trade route, permitting movement of bulk cargo after lighterage to Bangladesh through India Bangladesh Protocol Route and movement to North East India through the ACMP route.

It is mentionable that four trial runs were successfully completed by December last year in order to operationalise the ACMP for movement of cargo to and from India via Bangladesh.

The shipping secretary-level meeting will be held tomorrow led by M Mustafa Kamal, senior shipping secretary, and TK Ramachandran, secretary of the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways of India.

A 31-member delegate comprising representatives of relevant ministries and agencies of Bangladesh are participating in the meetings attended by a 21-member delegation from India.