India, Myanmar, Thailand may sign pact on vehicles in Nov

It will facilitate movement of cargo, passenger vehicles on road

Come November, India, Myanmar and Thailand (IMT) may sign a Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA) for regulating and enabling passenger, personal and cargo vehicle cross-border traffic in the three countries, during the meeting of transport ministers of the three countries in Myanmar.

Meantime, it is expected that the respective countries would complete their internal approval process.

This agreement will facilitate the movement of cargo and passenger vehicles (including personal vehicles) on the India-Myanmar-Thailand road corridor, enhancing intra-regional and inter-regional trade and commerce in South Eastern Asia.

This information was given by Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways, Pon Radhakrishnan in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The Transport Ministers of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) signed the

BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA) for regulating and enabling passenger, personal and cargo vehicle cross-border traffic in the four countries.

The BBIN MVA will enter into force on its ratification and the issue of notifications by all the four countries. The agreement would reduce cost and time-consuming process and procedures as at present, and make cross-border trade and transport in and through the North-Eastern region of India to and from Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal more efficient.

It will also help enhance people-to-people contact, trade and regional integration. Also, an agreement for regulation of passenger vehicular traffic between India and Nepal was signed on November 25, 2014. This agreement facilitated starting of the Delhi-Kathmandu and Varanasi-Kathmandu bus services which are operational currently.

The agreement also has provisions to allow additional bus services and movement of personal vehicles between the two countries.