YANGON, Jan 14: India has agreed to examine the proposal positively for the transmission of hydro-electricity from Nepal and Bhutan to Bangladesh through the Indian territory, a web-site report by Asia News International (ANI) said. The request was made by the Bangladesh state minister for energy and mineral resources on the sidelines of the tripartite meeting of ministers held in the capital city of Myanmar on January 12 and 13, 2005. Replying to the request, the Indian Minister for Petroleum, Mani Shankar Aiyar said: "With regard to the request made by Bangladesh for the provision of electricity facilities from Nepal and Bhutan to Bangladesh, India has agreed to look positively on any fresh proposals received from Bangladesh in this connection". Dhaka has also requested New Delhi to allow a corridor for supply of commodities between Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh through India. The government of India has also supported this request, said Aiyar. Last but not the least, Bangladesh asked to reduce the trade imbalance between the two nations. The tripartite ministerial meeting of Bangladesh, India and Myanmar have agreed in principle in a gas exploration and over-land pipeline project that would send gas from Myanmar to India through Bangladesh. Meanwhile, the Indian Minister for Petroleum, Mani Shankar Aiya, reacting to the third request by Bangladesh, said, "Yes, I agree with the need to expand bilateral trade between the two countries in order to bridge the trade gap that exists at present." Mani Shankar Aiyar also accepted the request of the Bangladeshi minister to visit Dhaka in the near future.
|