DHAKA: Bangladesh would provide transit facility to India after getting the money allocation and necessary infrastructural development.

The Foreign Secretary hinted the matter in a press conference, organized to brief about Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to United Arab Emirates (UAE), at the ministry around 11:15am Friday.

Earlier, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pankaj Saran said Bangladesh would be benefited and the importance of Banglabandha land port also will increase if Bangladesh provides transit facility to India.

Citing the observation of Saran, banglanews correspondent asked Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali whether Bangladesh will provide transit to India.

Delaying to give an answer, minister consulted with Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque who then, without dissenting, answered that the infrastructural works of land port will be started after getting the money allocation.

On Tuesday (October 21), Pankaj said that the talks about the transit among Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Bhutan have been continuing and expected that the facilities will be initiated soon.

However, the government had formed a core committee to investigate the details to provide transit facilities.

It prepared an economic survey with a recommendation to invest Tk 49,926.10 crore in improving roads, railways and shipping routes.

The committee recommended spending Tk 11,941.20 crore to develop roads, Tk 32,023.40 crore to develop rail lines and Tk 1,171.50 crore to develop shipping routes.

The committee also targeted to spend Tk 1,850.90 crore to modernize Chittagong seaport, Tk 2,798.60 crore for the development of Mongla Port and Tk 150.50 crore for developing land port.

BDST: 1957 HRS, OCT 24, 2014