1st B’desh vehicle to enter India through land border arrives

here tomorrow New Delhi, Sep 4 (PTI) The first Bangladeshi vehicle tohave entered India through a land border as part of an accordfor improved regulation of passenger and cargo traffic betweenthe two countries will arrive here tomorrow. Fitted with a Global Positioning System (GPS) to trackits movement, the vehicle carrying commercial goods will reachInland Container Depot (ICD), Patparganj. "It is a historic moment as a vehicle from Bangladeshcarrying imported consignment has been allowed to come intoIndia without changing trucks," said Vinayak Azaad, AdditionalCommissioner at ICD, Patparganj. The vehicle had entered the country late last month viaPetrapole border in West Bengal, he said. There was no provision to allow trucks registered inIndia to enter Bangladesh and vice versa until the accord wassigned last year. Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal Motor Vehicles Agreement,which was signed in June last year, allows vehicles to entereach other’s territory and does away with trans-shipment ofgoods from one country’s truck to another at the border, atime consuming and costly process. "This will pave the way for more efficient passage ofgoods between India and Bangladesh saving a significant amountof time and resources of both the countries," Azaad told PTI. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and thecustoms have played a significant role in ensuring hassle-freeentry of the vehicle into India. "We have coordinated with the Road Ministry and statepolice forces to ensure hassle-free movement of the vehicle toDelhi," the official said. PTI AKV SK MNGDIP