Bangladesh seeks link to Bhutan via India

October 25th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla visits Bhutan Monday on the invitation of the Himalayan kingdom's poll panel chief to discuss election management in the new democracy. "The visit is at the invitation of Chief Election Commissioner of Bhutan Kunzang Wangdi and the main focus of the visit is bilateral discussions in the matter of election management," an Election Commission release said Sunday.

October 25th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla will start his four-day official visit to Bhutan Monday, his office said here. "The visit is at the invitation of Chief Election Commissioner of Bhutan Kunzang Wangdi and the main focus of the visit is bilateral discussions in the matter of election management," an Election Commission release said Sunday.

October 20th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India will set up 50 weather stations in Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan to measure and monitor variations in climate, it was decided at the eighth meeting of SAARC environment ministers here Tuesday. India will also pay $1 million to the SAARC forestry centre in Bhutan and another $1 million to the SAARC coastal zone management centre in the Maldives, India's Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh announced at the end of the two-day meeting.

October 8th, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh has urged India to give it transit to Nepal and Bhutan to boost bilateral and South Asian regional trade and connectivity. The subject will be high on the agenda when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visits New Delhi shortly.

September 13th, 2009 DHAKA - A cross-section of opinion makers in Bangladesh have welcomed a Dhaka-Delhi resolve to improve connectivity among the South Asian neighbours, but have expressed reservations on many counts. They see the development as a window of opportunity to improve economic ties with landlocked Bhutan and Nepal, but also lament the loss of a prospective market in India's north-eastern region.

September 12th, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni has termed the meeting with her Indian counterpart S.M. Krishna "groundbreaking" as New Delhi has agreed to Dhaka's request for connectivity with land-locked Nepal and Bhutan.

September 6th, 2009 DHAKA - Two Indian telecom majors have sought a corridor through Bangladesh to reach the isolated north-eastern region and in return offered a stand-by submarine cable. Indian telecom giants - Bharti Airtel and Reliance Communications (RCom) - have submitted a joint proposal in this regard to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), according to The Daily Star newspaper.

August 21st, 2009 Akhaurah (India-Bangladesh Border), - Bangladesh has in principle agreed to provide transit facilities to India but in return has demanded a corridor through West Bengal to carry out bilateral trade with Nepal and Bhutan. Bangladesh Commerce Minister Colonel (retired) Faruk Khan said: "India already enjoys maritime transit with Bangladesh, and we can hold bilateral talks to resolve the long pending road and rail transit issue." "Providing transit facilities to India is not a big problem, it can be resolved through mutual talks.

August 20th, 2009 NEW DELHI -Home Minister P.Chidambaram will leave for Thimphu Friday on a three-day official visit to Bhutan, his first foreign tour after taking over the portfolio Dec 1 last year. During his visit, Chidambaram will meet the King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, Prime Minister Jigmi Y.

July 22nd, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed her government's interest in reopening a rail link between Bangladesh and India to establish stronger connectivity between the two neighbouring countries in the fields of trade, investment and people-to-people contacts. The railway link was severed following 1965 India-Pakistan war and has been non-operational since then.he conveyed this at a meeting with a Federation of Indian Chamber and Commerce of Industries (FICCI) delegation at her office on Tuesday.

July 22nd, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that her government wants to reopen the rail links with India for better connectivity and to promote trade, investment and people-to-people contact. The rail link was snapped in 1965.

June 18th, 2009 PARO - Foreign Minister S M Krishna arrived in Paro in Bhutan on Thursday, for a two-day visit to the Himalayan kingdom. This is the first foreign visit by Krishna after he assumed charge of the Foreign Ministry.

May 27th, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh is mooting a trans-border gas corridor connecting Iran and Myanmar through several countries including India. The move comes close on the heels of its decision to join the Asian rail and road highways, after staying away for years from joining the network.

April 1st, 2009 MUMBAI - Larsen & Toubro (L&T), the country's leading engineering and construction conglomerate, Wednesday said it has bagged a Rs.1,245 crore (Rs.12.45 billion) contract for the construction of dams as part of the 1,200 MW Punatsangchhu-I hydroelectric Project in Bhutan. The project is being set up by the Punatsangchhu-I Hydroelectric Project Authority which has been constituted through an agreement between the governments of India and Bhutan, a company statement said.

January 29th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India is ready to look at lowering further the number of items in the negative list for trade with least developed countries (LDCs) such as Bangladesh, a senior commerce ministry official said here Friday. 'We have already reduced the negative list from 765 to 480 items.