Bangladesh plans to provide transit facility to Bhutan by opening up its Mongla port to the Himalayan kingdom in a deal, expected to be signed shortly, officials said.
The Ministry of Commerce (MoC) has recently sent a draft of the agreement, prepared by Tariff Commission, to different ministries seeking their comments.
Bhutan has been asking for the transit facility to enable its export-import cargoes pass through the Mongla port, a senior official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Trade officials said an inter-ministerial meeting will be convened sooner to discuss the 'Draft Agreement on Transit between Bhutan and Bangladesh'.
The government is also negotiating with India and Nepal on the transit issue.
The draft has clearly mentioned the road maintenance fees, other charges and toll on Bhutanese goods destined for transit to a third country.
"Traffic -in-transit shall be exempted from customs duties, taxes and other charges except charges for transportation and such other charges as are commensurate with the costs of services rendered in respect of such transit in accordance with the domestic legislation including toll taxes, road maintenance fee, etc," says the draft.
The draft said the term 'traffic-in-transit' means the passage of goods including unaccompanied baggage and vehicle across the territory of one country when the passage is a portion of a complete journey, which begins or terminates within the territory of the other country.
The agreement will be signed for 10 years, according to the draft.
A top Commerce Ministry official said the ministry is in favor of charging transit fees in the name of transportation fee or maintenance fee as the country's road network and its infrastructure will be damaged due to the heavy traffic movement of transit goods of Bhutan.
He, however, said, everything would depend on political decision.
"The government is yet to determine its policy decision on imposing transit or transshipment fees on signatory countries," the official said.
He said negotiations with Bhutan could begin after consultations with other ministries.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina assured India of giving access of Mongla and Chittagong ports to India, Nepal and Bhutan in January this year.
'It was agreed that Bangladesh will allow use of Mongla and Chittagong sea ports for movement of goods to and from India through road and rail,' says the joint communiqué, signed between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and his Indian counterpart in New Delhi.
The Banglabandha land port will be used as an entry and exit point for Bhutanese transit goods, a trade official said.
Bangladesh exported goods worth $0.60 million to Bhutan in 2009 fiscal year, while it imported goods from Bhutan worth above $ 50 million during the same period, a trade official said.
