Who: BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal) Motor Vehicle Agreement
Where: Thimpu, Bhutan
What: Signed
When: 15 June 2015
Why: To improve regional connectivity
India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal on 15 June 2015 signed the BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal) Motor Vehicle Agreement in the Bhutanese capital Thimphu.
The transport ministers of four countries including the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari signed the agreement.
Key Features of BBIN Motor Vehicle Pact
• The regional motor vehicle pact is aimed at regulation of passenger, personal and cargo vehicular traffic amongst four SAARC member countries.
• It would promote safe, economical, efficient and environmentally sound road transport in the region.
• It would help each country in creating an institutional mechanism for regional integration.
• Each party will bear its own costs arising from implementation of this agreement.
• It is similar to the SAARC Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) draft with minor changes.
Comment
The Union Cabinet had approved a proposal to sign the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) MVA during the SAARC Summit in Kathmandu in November 2014. However, it could not be signed due to reservations of Pakistan.
The SAARC declaration at the Kathmandu Summit in November 2014 also encouraged Member States to initiate regional and sub-regional measures to enhance connectivity. Accordingly, it was considered appropriate that a sub-regional Motor Vehicle Agreement among Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) may be pursued.