MVA, which paves the way for seamless vehicular movement among the four SAARC member states, was reached during a Transport Ministerial Meeting of the four nations held in Thimpu. A five-member Nepali delegation led by Minister for Physical Infrastructures and Transport Bimalendra Nidhi had reached Thimpu to sign the agreement.MVA paves the way for passenger, cargo and personal vehicles of the four countries to move in and out of those countries, enhancing greater mobility of goods and people within the sub-region. "We took note of the progress made in formulating and negotiating the MVA for the regulation of passenger, personal and cargo vehicular traffic between the SAARC member states, but at the same time recognize the need to accelerate cross-border transport facilitation to deepen and hasten regional integration through sub-regional measures in line with the directives of our leaders as articulated in the Declaration of the 18th SAARC Summit," reads the text of the MVA.
The BBIN MVA states that this is a complementary instrument to existing transport agreements or arrangements at the bilateral levels that the contracting parties will continue to honor, and implementation difficulties, if any, will be resolved based on the provisions of the BBIN MVA. The four nations have identified 30 priority transport connectivity projects with an estimated total cost of over US$8 billion.
The four countries have also announced they are to hold a BBIN Friendship Motor Rally in October 2015 to highlight sub-regional connectivity and the scope of opportunities for greater people-to-people contact and trade under the BBIN initiative.
Experts in Nepal have lauded the sub-regional agreement, saying it could not only boost regional integration within SAARC but also enhance the performance of SAARC. "This is a positive development. Although the agreement is not a part of SAARC, the South Asian regional body should utilize it to enhance connectivity within the region," argued former foreign secretary Madhu Raman Acharya.
The SAARC Framework Agreement on Motor Vehicles that paves the way for unhindered vehicular movement among SAARC member states could not be inked during the 18th SAARC Summit as Pakistani had some reservations. A SAARC Transport Ministerial Meeting scheduled to be held in Islamabad in the near future is likely to finalize the Framework Agreement.
Acharya argued that it is sub-regional cooperation among SAARC member states that can enhance the performance of SAARC as a regional body.
Although some experts are skeptical whether other similar sub-regional agreements within SAARC will work, they all agree that Nepal primarily stands to gain from cross-border transportation to Bangladesh and vice versa through BBIN MVA. "Nepal as well as Bangladesh had been asking for more than two decades for easy flow of passenger, cargo and personal vehicles using Indian territory but various bottlenecks and bureaucratic red tape had been stopping this from happening," said Director of the Center for South Asian Studies, Dr. Nishchal Nath Pandey.
Related story
Nepal, B’desh, India mull implementing BBIN motor vehicle deal...
