Bhutanese PM allay concerns over BBIN motor vehicle pact

Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay today said the Bangladesh- Bhutan-India-Nepal motor vehicle agreement was about four neighbours working together, allaying "misunderstandings" that the pact will lead to vehicular pollution and garbage in the Himalayan kingdom.
He said if Bhutan were to opt out of the agreement, it would stand to lose as "it is not just about motor vehicles but about energy, trade, information, communication and technology, and other forms of regional cooperation."
The remarks by Tobgay comes after the Bhutanese National Council on Novermber 15 rejected the BBIN agreement after majority of its members voted against passing the pact.

Asserting that there is a misunderstanding on what BBIN means, he said the agreement would actually regulate traffic.
"There is a misunderstanding because I have heard people say that we will be flooded with vehicles, people, pollution and garbage. That is a huge misunderstanding," he was quoted as saying by Kuensel Online.
He said the BBIN agreement and protocol states that four countries are going to work together. "The protocol outlines how many numbers of vehicles and which routes to be taken," he said allaying the concerns of Council members.

He said if the NC is correct, the government will have to stand corrected. "That is the purpose of the House of Review."

"But perhaps if there has been a misunderstanding or perhaps if we can work on the protocol and give assurance and if the NC feels it is good for the national interest, we can work forward."
Tobgay said while he accepts and respects the wisdom of the House of Review, he is hoping the National Assembly (NA) and NC members can sit together and discuss the agreement.
He said when the NC turns down the agreement, it means it is against the national interest. "If it is, I don't understand how," he said. "It is not going to change anything except the status quo as any change will go through the Parliament."

Explaining how Bhutan would lose if the ratification does not come through, he said that since the BBIN is about four neighbours working together, Bhutan loses the opportunity to work with Nepal and Bangladesh. "Our cooperation with India is very good but there is lots we can do with the other two neighbours.