RD CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN BANGLADESH, INDIA, NEPAL, BHUTAN

SOUTH ASIAN CORRIDOR/TRANSIT ROUTE AND ITS EFFECT ON ECONOMY

Asia is one of the most diverse regions of the world in terms of geography, people,
culture, religion and most importantly, standard of living. Bangladesh is one of the
poorest among Asia who’s per capita income is less than $500.To change the
present standard she does not have any other alternative but to explore every bit of
opportunity to develop her economy through trade, commerce and tourism. In present
world, the main concern of a nation is to expand trade both within and outside the
region .That is why the movement of regional cooperation, particularly in the field of
economy has been considered with great importance in the recent years. North
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO),
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASIAN) and European Union (EU) are various
economic forums which came into existence to promote trade at regional level.

The countries of the South Asian region can also adopt various means and ways to
enhance regional cooperation including transport and communication sectors. South
Asian Corridor (SAC) can open a new horizon of opportunity in this regard. SAC is
one of the most important projects of United Nations Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP) whose aim is to develop and strengthen
international and bilateral trade and commerce. If SAC can be materialized
successfully, it will bring a new era in land communication between Asia and Europe.

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and South Asian
Preferential Trade Agreement (SAPTA) was created for accelerating the process of
economic, social and cultural exchanges among South Asian countries but till now
very little has been achieved because of political territorial disputes. Now, realizing
the positive impacts of SAC, the government of the regional countries should
appreciate overall development of their country as well as the prospect of economic
cooperation within the region.

To derive maximum benefit from SAC in regards to political and economic

development of Bangladesh, this issue needs to be studied in detail. In this paper an
effort is made to highlight the as an overview followed by it’s future prospect.

The year of 1540, Sher shah Shuri, the great ruler of Afghanistan planned to connect
his capital Kabul with rest of the world. Thereby the concept of this South Asian
Corridor was originated. Then this highway was known as 'Grand Trunk Road' which
passed Bangladesh through Dhaka-Chittagong-Teknaf and went to Myanmer
crossing Naf river. At that time it was extended up to Hohchi Minh city the capital of
Vietnam.
After more than four centuries, in 1959, ESCAP started a new project with a view to
develop the communication system of entire Asia. This project was named 'Asian
Land Transport Infrastructure Development' commonly known as ALTID. Under this
project extensive road and railway communication in Asia known as South Asian
Corridor and Trans Asian Railway was planned to be constructed.
NAVAL ASPECTS OF LIBERATION WAR is a network of 1,41,000 kilometers of
standard roadway crisscrossing 32 Asian countries. ESCAP has recommended three
economically profitable corridors .i.e. 'North Corridor', 'South Corridor' and the 'South
Eastern Corridor'. The 'North Corridor' originates from South Korea and passes
through China, Mongolia, Kazakhestan and connects the Russian Federation. The
'South Corridor' originates from Myanmer and passes through Bangladesh, India,
Nepal, Srilanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey and then connects Europe. The
'South Eastern Corridor' links the 'North Corridor' and the 'South Corridor' through
Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Western Myanmar, Laos and
South China at Kunming on the north.
The entry point of SAC in this sub continent is at Peshawar of Pakistan. It passes
through Islamabad, Lahore and then enters India. At New Delhi, the highway will be
divided into two parts. One will cross Agra, Bihar, Calcutta and enter Bangladesh
through Benapole. The other one will go to Kathmundu from New Delhi and then
again will enter India at Darjeeling from there it will enter Bangladesh through
Banglabandh near Panchagarh. The exit of 'South Corridor' from Bangladesh is at
Tamabil from where it will again enter into Eastern India to reach up to Singapore
through Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Malaysia. Map showing
detail route of South Asian Corridor through Indian sub continent is given at annex
'A'.
The two entry points of SAC in Bangladesh are at Benapole and Banglabandh.
These two routes will again meet at Jamuna Bridge to cross Bangladesh through
Tamabil. According to the initial proposal the exit of SAC from Bangladesh was
through Teknaf to reach Rangoon. In 1992, the ESCAP decided to change the route
of SAC in Bangladesh. According to the amendment, the route will now enter
Eastern India through Tamabil which will increase the distance between Dhaka and
Rangoon by 3,000 kilometer. Presently Government of Bangladesh is trying to add
the Teknaf route again. Map of Bangladesh showing route of South Asian Corridor is
given at annex 'B'.
South Asia represents one of the poorest regions of the world. The region has 20
percent of the world's population living on only 3.31 percent of the land area of the
world. The only way to develop economic condition is to concentrate in trade and
economic sector. SAC could help in enlarging the market to accelerate
industrialization, increase efficiency, reduce cost of production and check
monopolistic tendencies in South Asia. Besides spiraling the industrial sector there
are lot of scopes to explore tourism and natural resources as well. SAC will provide
good communication within the region which will facilitate developing economic
structure.
Mutually beneficial economic cooperation in South Asia through the SAC would
strength regional self-sufficiency, which in turn would promote regional peace,
security and stability. The weakness of political instability of this region can also be
compensated by promoting a sound economic base. Increase in intra-regional trade
and cooperation would also present a better image of the region as a destination of
foreign investment.
The South Asian countries are technologically not very sound and self sufficient
which compel them to be dependent on western technology and capital. Excessive
dependence on the advanced industrialized countries and aid agencies such as
ADB, IMF etc reduces the bargaining capacity of the region and makes the economy
vulnerable. The SAC would allow entry of South Asian exports to the countries of
West, East and South-East Asia thereby reducing dependence on America and
Europe.