Five CMs add weight to Prime Minister’s Bangladesh visit

In a never before attempted gesture symbolising goodwill and friendship, prime minister Manmohan Singh will be accompanied by Chief Ministers of five bordering states during his two-day visit to Bangladesh on September 6 and 7.

The visit is being viewed as a crucial step to up the engagement level with Bangladesh to counter increasing Chinese influence in the south Asian region.

It is expected to further the Comprehensive Framework of Agreements that was signed between the premiers of the two countries in January 2010.

The visit is also expected to ink vital agreements in the field of power, transit rights, border trade, tourism and water sharing.

Chief minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee, Mizoram’s PU Lalthanhawla, Tripura’s Manik Sarkar, Meghalaya’s Mukul Sangma and Assam’s Tarun Gogoi will be part of the PM’s delegation and will be present during the signing of several agreement.

“The visit should be seen in the perspective of increasing the engagement level with Bangladesh from merely a friendly neighbour to the level of a best friend with whom we have multiple common interests,” said a senior home ministry official.

India is keen at securing transit rights through Bangladesh to significantly shorten the travel distance and reduce the cost of goods to far-flung northeastern states.

Currently, the goods are transported through the long circuitous route using the chicken’s neck to Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Assam and Tripura. Securing transit rights is expected to reduce the transportation cost at least by 30% to 70%.

The swapping of enclaves is expected to pave the way for calmer borders by settling border disputes and erection of contiguous border fencing.  Similarly, an agreement will also settle the adverse possession area dispute between the two countries.