March 23, 2006	Thursday	Safar 22, 1427

DHAKA, Mar 22: Bangladesh has primarily identified nearly 20 strategic transport corridors -– road, rail and river -– to facilitate trade with India, although a political decision on whether or not to provide the latter with transit and transhipment facility remains pending, government sources say.

A secretary of the government said that the demand for regional transhipment and corridor had intensified in recent times from both bilateral and regional perspectives. Notably, India has long been pressing for transhipment and corridor facilities and the use of the Chittagong port.

However, the infrastructure of the corridors will be developed with financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank and on the basis of its soon-to-be-made recommendations, the sources added.

The bank will soon conduct a comprehensive study on the development aspects and infrastructure needs of the corridors, and also an analysis of economic and financial returns in case Dhaka allows New Delhi their use.

Different ministries and divisions proposed the corridors during a meeting with the bank. Officials from the Planning Commission, Prime Minister’s Office and the ministries of commerce, communications, finance, planning and shipping attended the meeting.

Prodyut Dutt, a transport specialist at the South Asia Infrastructure Division of the bank, led the ADB fact-finding mission at the meeting. The five-member mission was on a visit to Bangladesh last month.