DHAKA, July 31: India today said allowing its goods to pass through Bangladesh would benefit both countries and dispelled apprehension that it would jeopardise that country's national security. The proposal of allowing transhipment facilities to Indian goods approved by the Bangladesh Cabinet on July 28 does not mean a "corridor" to India or even "transit rights", the Indian deputy high commissioner to Bangladesh, Pinak R Chakravarty, told newspersons. "It is just transhipment of Indian goods to northeastern states of India by Bangladeshi companies," he said, responding to strong opposition criticism of the proposal. "Indian goods would go through all formalities including customs checking at entry points of both the countries," Chakravarty said, adding "this is just a service which Bangladeshi companies would provide to transport goods from one point to another of the Indian border." He said a joint expert committee of both countries would sit together to work out the modalities, including infrastructure and pricing, for the proposed service. On Opposition allegations that India might move its Army to suppress insurgency in its landlocked Northeast states, Chakravarty said "It is only a bogey being raised by those who have no argument against the proposal." The Indian diplomat referred to a clause in the joint agreement signed by then Indian commerce minister Pranab Mukherjee and his Bangladesh counterpart Chowdhury Tanveer Ahmed Siddiqui in 1980 and said it clearly stated that the two countries would cooperate in using their waterways, railways and roads for mutual commercial benefit. "The agreement is already there, we're just trying to implement it in the mutual economic interest of the two countries," Chakravarty said. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina accused the BNP-led Opposition of blocking her country's development by opposing the transit of Indian goods through Bangladesh and said the move would earn Dhaka about 400 million US dollars a year. In her first comments since her Cabinet approved in principle to examine the proposal for transhipment of Indian goods from one to another point in India by Bangladeshi carriers, Hasina said, 'the process was started by the BNP Government, which had agreed to allow Indian trucks to carry its goods over Bangladesh territory.' (PTI; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; August 1, 1999)

DHAKA, Aug 1 - Bangladesh will ask New Delhi to provide facility for transit of its goods through India to Nepal and Bhutan in lieu of the transhipment of Indian goods through its territory and seek duty-free access for 25 export products to Indian market, its commerce minister Tofail Ahmed said here today. Ahmed said Dhaka will seek duty-free access for the export products on a non-reciprocal basis when modalities for transhipment of Indian goods are discussed at the next meeting of the joint committee of experts. Ahmed said during his meeting with Indian commerce minister Ramakrishna Hegde in May last, 25 Bangladeshi items of export were identified. These include ceramic, leather products, jute and plastic products and electrical goods. "This arrangement (transhipment of Indian goods) would now enable us to press for duty-free access on those products which had already been agreed in principle", he said. The minister said Bangladesh will ask India to allow transit of Bangladeshi goods through Indian territory to Nepal and Bhutan. "If we find the transhipment not beneficial for the country, we may not go ahead with the proposal", he said. Ahmed said if the proposed zero tariff access to 25 Bangladeshi export products was implemented, it would attract huge foreign investment in those sectors. Experts from India and Bangladesh are expected to meet later this month to work out modalities for transhipment of Indian goods through Bangladesh. (Correspondent; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; August 2, 1999)

KOHIMA, August 1: The 24 MW Likhimro hydel power project in the Tuensang district of Nagaland is likely to be commissioned by March next year, according to Nagaland power minister K Therie. The minister said during the lean season, only one turbine out of three with eight MW, will able to generate 8 MW. The state government is contemplating to set up a 24 MW thermal power project at Dimapur at an estimated cost of Rs 88 crore. The thermal project will run by furnace oil to be carried from the Numaligarh refinery in Golaghat district of Assam. So far, a Calcutta-based company has expressed desire to invest for the project. (UNI; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; August 2, 1999)

GUWAHATI, August 4: The North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd (NEDFi) has sanctioned projects amounting to Rs 554 lakh in Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and Assam. An official release said the statewise allocation was: Mizoram Rs 156.30 lakh, Manipur Rs 156 lakh; Tripura Rs 105 lakh and Assam Rs 137 lakh. NEDFi has sanctioned Rs 144 lakh as term loan to Greenwood Hospital Pvt Ltd for setting up a 59-bed hospital in Bawngkawn, Aizawl. It is an existing hospital with 30 beds on rented premises and is the only private healthcare unit providing tertiary healthcare facility in Mizoram. Imphal Hospital and Research Centre (P) Ltd proposes to set up a 30-bed hospital at Imphal, Manipur, with facilities for general medical cases, surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics & gynaecology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, infertility clinic and other services. The project is being promoted by a pool of experienced doctors of Manipur for which NEDFi is providing financial assistance to the tune of Rs 120 lakh. Tripureshwari Delicious Products Pvt Ltd proposes to set up a pasteurised toned milk manufacturing plant with an installed capacity of 3000 kl per annum at Agartala. The proposed project will be the first dairy unit in private sector in Tripura and NEDFi has sanctioned a rupee term loan of Rs 105 lakh. Quality Foods Pvt Ltd proposes to set up a bakery unit to manufacture breads, varieties of biscuits, pastries and cakes in the industrial estate of Kalapahar at Guwahati. NEDFi is extending a term loan of Rs 15 lakh to the project. Apart from these projects, NEDFi has sanctioned five projects under its North East Equity Fund Scheme. BUT Printers proposes to set up a mini offset printing unit at Paona Bazar, Imphal, for which NEDFi has offered a term loan of Rs 7.75 lakh and soft loan of Rs 3.25 lakh. Bora Advertising proposes to launch a career counselling magazine along with corporate communication, media management activities in Guwahati. The magazine "The career counsellor" aims to be the first comprehensive career magazine of the country which will make detailed analysis of various professions as industry. The magazine will be processed in Guwahati and printed in Delhi. NEDFi has offered a term loan of Rs 8.75 lakh and NEEF soft loan of Rs 3.75 lakh. Seven Brothers Poultry Firm & Chicken Process proposes to set up a poultry unit of 1000 broilers per month at Zemabawk, Aizawl. This will be an expansion project and NEDFi has extended a term loan of Rs 8.68 lakh and soft loan of Rs 3.62 lakh under NEEF. Modern Hatcheries proposes to set up a hatchery unit with a capacity of 4.7 lakh chick capacity per annum. NEDFi has sanctioned a rupee term loan of Rs 8.50 lakh and soft loan of Rs 3.75 lakh under the NEEF scheme. Oriental Orchids will set up a commercial plant tissue culture unit to produce commercial horticulture plantlets and ornamental plants in Imphal. This will be for the first time in Manipur that tissue culture will be done commercially. NEDFi has extended a term loan of Rs 9 lakh and NEEF soft loan of Rs 3.75 lakh for the project. These projects would contribute to a total capital formation of Rs 971 lakh and NEDFi's financial assistance towards these projects would be to the tune of Rs 555 lakh, the release added. (UNI; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; August 5, 1999)

GUWAHATI, August 4: The Federation of Industries and Commerce of North Eastern Region (FINER) has hailed the Bangladesh government's decision to allow transhipment of Indian goods through its territory. FINER president SK Jain said the Indian business community had been demanding the facility for long. Bangladesh's grant of transhipment facilities to India is a major step towards creating a regime of free movement of goods within South Asia - one of the prerequisites for the South Asia Free Trade Agreement, proposed by India under the aegis of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Nepal already has transhipment agreements with India and Bangladesh, he said. The transit facility would provide easy access to other parts of India and will make both Bangladesh and the north-eastern region an epicentre of economic activities in the next century, he said. (UNI; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; August 5, 1999)

AIZAWL, August 4: The Mizoram law department has referred the Mizoram Salaries and Allowances and Pension of Members of the Legislative Assembly (Amendment) Bill, 1999, to the Chief Election Commissioner as it could violate the moral code of conduct laid down by the Election Commission. The Bill was introduced in the state Assembly on Wednesday. According to state chief electoral officer L Tochawng, Governor A Padmanaban had asked the state election commission to clarify whether the Bill could be introduced and later implemented before the Lok Sabha elections. A senior official of the law department said according to the CEO, if the Bill was passed, being a legislation it could not violate the moral code of conduct until implemented. But the law department thought otherwise, the official said, adding that the CEO was likely to send its reply by August 5. A Raj Bhawan official said if the CEO so desired, the Governor could reserve his assent to the Bill if passed by the Assembly till the elections. On Tuesday night the Cabinet had approved the Bill which seeks of enhance the salaries and other benefits of MLAs. (UNI; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; August 6, 1999)