Why in news?
Bhutan recently announced that it is unable to proceed with the Motor Vehicles Agreement with Bangladesh, India and Nepal.
What is BBIN?
- It is the regional sub-grouping India had planned for ease of access among the four countries.
- It was an alternative proposed by the government after Pakistan rejected the Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) at the SAARC summit in Kathmandu in 2014.
- It seeks to allow trucks and other commercial vehicles to ply on one another’s highways to facilitate trade.
- Of the other SAARC members, Sri Lanka and the Maldives are not connected by land, and Afghanistan could only be connected if Pakistan was on board.
What are the consequences?
- After Bhutan’s decision, India, Nepal and Bangladesh will have to decide whether to wait for Bhutan to reconsider or to press ahead with a truncated ‘BIN’ arrangement.
- Reconsidering will not be easy as the main concern expressed by Bhutanese citizen groups and politicians is over increased vehicular and air pollution.
- The upper house of parliament has refused to ratify the MVA that was originally signed by all four BBIN countries in 2015.
What should be done?
- It should be seen as a road block, and not a dead end.
- Despite the setback, New Delhi must persevere with its efforts.
- Dry runs have been conducted along the routes, and officials estimate the road links could end up circumventing circuitous shipping routes by up to 1,000 km.
- Bhutan’s concerns may be eased if India considers the inclusion of waterways and riverine channels as a less environmentally damaging substitute.
- A similar initiative for the Asian Highway project under the BCIM (Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar) corridor got a boost this week as the countries moved to upgrade the dialogue to the governmental level.
- Connectivity is the new global currency for growth and prosperity and India must continue to make the most of its geographic advantages.
Source: The Hindu
