Cabinet approves draft transit deal with Bhutan

Staff Correspondent: The Cabinet has approved the draft of a transit agreement between Bangladesh and Bhutan.
The approval came from the weekly cabinet meeting in the capital with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair yesterday.
“Bhutan is a land locked country. They have no river or sea ports of their own for imports and exports. They receive similar benefits from India. Now they are getting an opportunity to use Bangladesh’s land and ports,” Cabinet Secretary Mahbub Hossain told reporters after the meeting at the Secretariat.
He said the draft deal will now be sent to the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to determine the transit fee or revenue for Bhutanese vehicles for transit through Bangladesh. “After finalising everything, the agreement will be signed,” he added.
Currently, Bangladesh has a transit agreement with neighbouring India enabling the country to use some of Bangladesh’s ports and roads.