A meeting of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal on the BBIN MVA was held at New Delhi on 08 Feb 2020
About the meeting
- The meeting was held to discuss the passenger and cargo Protocols that are to give effect to the Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA) for the Regulation of Passenger, Personal and Cargo Vehicular Traffic between Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal, signed on 15 June 2015.
- This is the first meeting of the group since their meeting in Bengaluru in January 2018, when the two Protocols were last discussed.
- The delegations also discussed a draft enabling MOU to be signed by Bangladesh, India and Nepal for implementation of the BBIN MVA by the three countries, bearing in mind the consent provided by the Royal Government of Bhutan for the entry into force of the MVA among Bangladesh, India and Nepal, without obligation to Bhutan, pending the completion by Bhutan of its internal procedures for ratification of the BBIN MVA.
About BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA)
- It was signed on 15 June 2015 at the BBIN transport ministers meeting in Thimpu, Bhutan
- The agreement would permit the member states to ply their vehicles in each other’s territory for transportation of cargo and passengers, including third-country transport and personal vehicles.
- As per the agreement each vehicle would require an electronic permit to enter another country’s territory, and border security arrangements between nations’ borders will also remain.
- Cargo vehicles will be able to enter any of the four nations without the need for trans-shipment of goods from one country’s truck to another’s at the border.
- Under the system, cargo vehicles are tracked electronically, permits are issued online and sent electronically to all land ports.
- Vehicles are fitted with an electronic seal that alerts regulators every time the container door is opened.
- The agreement will enter into force after it is ratified by all four member nations. The agreement has been ratified by Bangladesh, India and Nepal.
- The lower house of the Bhutanese parliament approved the agreement in early 2016, but it was rejected by the upper house in November 2016. Bhutan has requested for a cap to be fixed on the number of vehicles entering its territory
About BBIN
- The Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) Initiative is a sub-regional architecture of countries in Eastern South Asia, a sub-region of South Asia.
- The group meets through the official representation of member states to formulate, implement and review quadrilateral agreements across areas such as water resources management, connectivity of power, transport, and infrastructure.
