The Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal Initiative (BBIN) is a sub-regional architecture of countries in East South Asia, a sub-region of South Asia. It meets through the official representation of Member States to formulate, implement and revise quadrilateral agreements in areas such as water resources management, energy connectivity, transport and infrastructure. [1] The agreement enters into force after being ratified by the four Member States. The agreement has been ratified by Bangladesh, India and Nepal. The lower house of the Bhutanese parliament approved the deal in early 2016, but it was rejected by the upper house in November 2016. [31] Bhutan has requested a cap on the number of vehicles entering its territory. [34] In May 2017, the media reported that the Bhutanese government had ordered the Indian government to continue the agreement without Bhutan because the Bhutanese government could not ratify the agreement in the upper house due to objections from opposition parties. [35] Opponents of the measure in Bhutan claimed that the agreement would increase vehicle traffic from other countries, which would affect Bhutanese truck drivers and also cause environmental damage. An existing bilateral agreement between Bhutan and India already allows for smooth car traffic between the two countries. Therefore, Bhutan`s decision not to ratify the BBIN MVA would only affect its trade with Nepal and Bangladesh.
The Bhutanese government called on other BBIN members to continue with the agreement and also said it would try to ratify the MVA after the country`s parliamentary elections in 2018. Due to tense relations between Bhutan and Nepal, the government led by Tshering Tobgay feared that the entry of Nepalese trucks into Bhutan would anger the electorate. [36] India described Bhutan`s decision as a « setback » rather than a « rejection » of the agreement, stating that it was natural that not all members could move at the same pace and that India continue its engagement with Bhutan on this issue. [37] [38] In addition, there are problems with freight insurance, as every vehicle circulating in the territory of another country should have a comprehensive insurance policy. At present, such a policy of one country is not recognized in another country among the parties to the agreement. Advantages: This would allow the unhindered movement of passenger cars and trucks between the four countries. Freight vehicles do not need to be changed at the border, a practice that has prevailed so far. The BBIN agreement will promote safe, economically efficient and environmentally friendly road transport in the subregion and help each country to create an institutional mechanism for regional integration.
DHL Global Forwarding has been mandated by the Indian government to conduct a pilot series as part of the agreement. The first truck to benefit from the motor vehicle agreement was reported in Kolkata on 1 November 2015. The truck travelled 640 km to reach Agartala via Dhaka. Before signing the agreement on BBIN motor vehicles, the truck would have had to travel 1550 km through Indian territory to reach Agartala. Officials cited this as an example of the time and money savings the BBIN motor vehicle deal would bring. [30] In August 2016, Bangladesh sent a truck carrying clothes from Dhaka to New Delhi as part of a trial of the deal. [32] The truck received an electronic permit to enter Indian territory through a web-based online system. Instead of having to undergo customs clearance and formalities as before the agreement, the truck was equipped with an electronic seal with a GPS tracking device. The truck was then checked for customs clearance in New Delhi and not at the border. [33] Informal discussions resulted in a renewed consensus on sub-regional relations outside bilateral agreements, in part due to the continued failure of existing systems. [7] At a summit in Kathmandu in November 2014, an agreement on land transport was approved by regional states, with the exception of one country`s reservations, resulting in its failure. In the subsequent summit declaration, subregional actions were reaffirmed as a contribution to wider networking.
Subsequently, a framework for cooperation was established with the first quaternary meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) in January 2015. [8] [9] Objective: The main objective of the Agreement is to establish smooth people-to-people contacts and improve economic interaction by facilitating the cross-border movement of people and goods. What is it? The historic MVA was signed on 15 June 2015 by the transport ministers of the BBIN countries in Thimphu, Bhutan. Under the agreement, member countries would allow vehicles registered in other countries to enter their territory under certain conditions. Tariffs and tariffs are set by the respective countries and set in bilateral and trilateral forums. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) signed an MVA framework in June 2015 to allow cross-border movement of passenger cars and trucks between the four countries. Bhutan has not yet ratified the pact for its entry into force. However, Bhutan had agreed to the entry into force of the MVA BBIN among the other 3 countries, namely Bangladesh, India and Nepal, which have already ratified it. The BBIN MVA can be a game changer for neighbourhood cooperation. For the first time, these countries have decided to exchange traffic rights and allow the transit of goods and passenger cars within and across international borders. The main objective is to develop functional transport corridors and then convert them into economic corridors.
These economic corridors should play a crucial role in strengthening existing value chains and creating new ones. B2B Cargo itineraries are not included in BBIN. Transhipment will remain the most cost-effective mode of transport. because most vehicles come back empty. The BBIN routes are asymmetrically favorable to India, which connects the India-BD-India routes. For others, the volume of regional transit traffic is insignificant and existing modes of transport will remain the most cost-effective option. They met in New Delhi last week to discuss a draft that would allow a Memorandum of Understanding between Bangladesh, India and Nepal to implement the BBIN MVA without any obligation to Bhutan. This will usher in a new era of neighbourhood cooperation in this subregion. They reaffirmed their understanding that BBIN MVA protects the rights and obligations of all parties under other international and bilateral agreements within the Group.
India proposed an agreement on SAARC motor vehicles at the 18th SAARC Summit in Kathmandu in November 2014. Due to Pakistan`s objections, no agreement could be reached. Instead, India has a similar motor vehicle agreement with BBIN. The BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) was signed on 15 June 2015 at the BBIN Transport Ministers` Meeting in Thimpu, Bhutan. [29] [30] The Agreement will allow Member States to use their vehicles on the territory of other Member States for the carriage of goods and passengers, including the carriage of third countries and passenger cars. Each vehicle would require electronic authorization to enter the territory of another country, and the border security agreement between the nations` borders would also remain in place. [31] Trucks can enter any of the four countries without having to reload goods from one country to another at the border. Under the system, cargo vehicles are tracked electronically, permits are issued online and sent electronically to all land ports. Vehicles are equipped with an electronic seal that alerts controllers whenever the container door is opened.
[30] Through regular meetings of the JWG, representatives explore opportunities for cooperation, exchange experiences and best practices, discuss data exchange modalities for disaster prediction and mitigation, and strengthen transit facilitation measures such as common border posts on key routes and harmonised customs procedures. [10] The priority of « connectivity »[11] continues to include seamless power grids, shared access to road, rail, air and port infrastructure, and ease of travel. .