Northeast chief ministers to visit Dhaka seeking transit facility

October 1st, 2009 DHAKA - Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to visit India later this month when the politically contentious issue of giving transit facility to India through Bangladesh territory will be discussed, a newspaper said Thursday. Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni's talks with the Indian leadership last month may have paved the ground for the visit of Sheikh Hasina, the New Age said.

September 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni who is on a four day visit to India met her Indian counterpart S.M. Krishna here on Tuesday.

June 24th, 2009 SHILLONG - The ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) has given priority to upgrading connectivity and infrastructure in the north-eastern states and earmarked Rs.500 crore for it this fiscal, said Bijoy Krishna Handique, minister in charge of the region, here Wednesday. "Under the Northeast Vision 2020, the ministry of development of north eastern region (DoNER) has chalked out a 100-day plan," Handique said while addressing the meeting of northeast chief ministers.

May 7th, 2009 DHAKA - India has proposed 'constructive talks' on the contentious issue of transit facility through Bangladesh to reach its north-eastern region once a new government takes office in New Delhi after the general elections. India is particularly keen on railway connectivity between Akhaura in eastern Bangladesh and Agartala, capital of Tripura in India's north-east, New Age newspaper said.

April 20th, 2009 AGARTALA - Bangladeshi trade and industry groups have said they would increase trade and economic activities with India's northeast region and urged Dhaka to provide transit facilities to India. 'We have decided to start business and education tourism with the northeastern region,' said Abdul Matlub Ahmad, president of the India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

March 25th, 2009 DHAKA - Dhaka and New Delhi have renewed for two years their river trade and transit treaty. Now experts will explore the feasibility of India using more river ports in Bangladesh to reach isolated parts of northeastern India.

March 24th, 2009 DHAKA - New Delhi has asked Dhaka to allow transportation of heavy machinery and other equipment through the latter's Ashuganj river port to construct a power plant in India's northeastern state of Tripura. New Delhi may be shifting emphasis to river transit from its earlier plea for land transit that Dhaka finds contentious and politically sensitive, New Age newspaper said Tuesday.

February 14th, 2009 DHAKA - Dhaka and New Delhi are set to renew the inland water transit and trade deal shortly and may add Ashuganj as the ninth port of call for easy transport of Indian goods from Kolkata to Agartala through Bangladesh. With the addition of Ashuganj, Indian goods could move faster from Kolkata to Tripura in India's northeast through the Akhaura-Agartala railway route, New Age newspaper said Sunday quoting unnamed diplomatic sources.

February 10th, 2009 DHAKA - Large sections of Dhaka's media have reacted positively to the just-concluded visit of Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's visit, saying it yielded 'win-win' deals for the South Asian neighbours. On Wednesday, they highlighted the 'mutuality of interests' - if Dhaka was providing Delhi transit to the northeast, the latter too would get access to Nepal and Bhutan as well as new areas for trade and economic cooperation.

February 3rd, 2009 DHAKA - Five days ahead of Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's visit here, Bangladesh Wednesday said it was ready to provide transit facilities to India, a move that would help New Delhi trim its mounting trade deficit. Dhaka has had reservations about a transit pact, a long-pending demand of India, for economic and security reasons.

February 3rd, 2009 DHAKA - Five days ahead of Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's visit here, Bangladesh has said it is ready to provide transit facility to its neighbour's northeastern region. 'I see no reason why we should not give transit (to India),' Commerce Minister, Col.

February 2nd, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh may renew trade pacts and discuss transit facility and terrorism during the visit of Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee to Dhaka Monday. Bangladesh is as yet 'undecided' about acceding to India's long-pending plea for transit facility to the latter's northeastern region, and a minister has termed commerce 'a weapon in politics'.

February 2nd, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh may renew trade pacts and discuss transit facility and terrorism during the visit of Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee to Dhaka Monday. Bangladesh is as yet 'undecided' about acceding to India's long-pending plea for transit facility to the latter's northeastern region, and a minister has termed commerce 'a weapon in politics'.

January 31st, 2009 DHAKA - As Bangladesh prepares to resume talks with India on a host of issues, opposition leader Khaleda Zia has warned the Sheikh Hasina government against signing any 'deal against national interests'. 'After assuming office, the government seems to be eager to sign deals on issues of national interest and national resources.

January 12th, 2009 DHAKA - Joint fight against terrorism and some of the long-pending bilateral issues will be discussed when Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee visits Dhaka in early February, an official said. Announcing Monday the tentative programme of the minister's visit, Indian High Commissioner Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty said the main concern of the Indian government was to ensure security in the region by eradicating terrorism, New Age newspaper reported.