India and Bangladesh discussed various issues pertaining to the protocol arrangements and improvement of inland water transportation between the two countries at the 19th Standing Committee meeting under ‘Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade’ (PIWTT) held in New Delhi on Wednesday. The meeting was attended by high level delegations that included representatives of the Ministries of Shipping, External Affairs, Home, Finance, DONER and Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and officials from Bangladesh belonging to the Ministry of Shipping, Board of Revenue, DG (Shipping) and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA).
The two sides agreed to consider inclusion of Rupnarayan river (National Waterway-86), from Geonkhali to Kolaghat in West Bengal, in the protocol route. They also agreed to declare Kolaghat, and Chilmari in Bangladesh as new ports of call. The new arrangement will facilitate movement of fly ash, cement, construction materials, etc. from India to Bangladesh through IWT on the Rupnarayan river. Further, both sides agreed to declare Badarpur on river Barak (NW 16) as an extended port of call of Karimganj in Assam and Ghorasal of Ashuganj in Bangladesh on reciprocal basis. The Indian side proposed extension of the protocol routes from Kolkata up to Silchar in Assam.
