Submit your Article

The World Bank today approved $1.03 billion of financing to help improve regional trade in Bangladesh and Nepal by reducing trade and transport costs and transit time along the regional corridors.

The Accelerating Transport and Trade Connectivity in Eastern South Asia (ACCESS) Program Phase 1 will help the respective governments address the key barriers to regional trade ─ manual and paper-based trade processes, inadequate transport and trade infrastructure, and restrictive trade and transport regulations and processes.

The Phase 1 program will help replace lengthy manual and paper-based trade processes with digitized automated solutions in Bangladesh and Nepal. The automation will enable faster border crossing times and install electronic tracking of truck entry and exit, electronic queuing, smart parking. The program will also help improve selected road corridors and upgrade key land ports and custom infrastructure, while ensuring green and climate-resilient construction. This will help the integration of landlocked Bhutan and Nepal with the gateway countries of Bangladesh and India.

"Regional trade offers enormous untapped potential for the countries of South Asia. Today, regional trade accounts for only 5 percent of South Asia’s total trade, while in East Asia it accounts for 50 percent,” said Hartwig Schafer, World Bank Vice President for South Asia. “South Asia can boost economic growth significantly and create opportunities for millions of people by increasing regional trade and connectivity.”

The $753.45 million ACCESS Project in Bangladesh will upgrade the 43 Km two-lane Sylhet-Charkai-Sheola road to a climate-resilient four-lane road, connecting the Sheola Land Port with the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway. This will cut down travel time by 30 percent. The project will support digital systems, infrastructure, and more streamlined processes at Benapole, Bhomra, and Burimari land ports, the three largest land ports in Bangladesh handling approximately 80 percent of land-based trade. It will also support the modernization of the Chattogram customs house which handles 90 percent of all import/export declarations in Bangladesh.

“While the trade between Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal grew six times from 2015 to 2019, the unexploited potential for regional trade is estimated at 93 percent for Bangladesh,” said Mercy Tembon, World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan. “The project will help Bangladesh improve regional trade and transport and automation of processes will build resilience to crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The $275 million ACCESS Project in Nepal will upgrade 69 km two-lane Butwal—Gorusinghe—Chanauta road along the East-West Highway to a climate-resilient four-lane highway. This is expected to reduce travel time by 30 percent, thus providing better access to India’s western seaports. The project will construct market areas along the highway with dedicated spaces for women entrepreneurs and traders to ensure that women can benefit from the enhanced economic opportunities. It will also support capacity building and digital system to enhance trade and customs processes at Birgunj and Bhairahawa border points in particular. The program will also help advance Nepal’s preparedness and subsequent implementation of the Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA). 

“Nepal has large untapped potential for regional trade and exports. Low regional trade is often a result of the high cost of connectivity,” said Faris Hadad-Zervos, World Bank Country Director for Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. “The project will help unlock Nepal’s economic potential through better connectivity and trade, both between the provinces as well as regionally among Nepal and other countries to support a green, resilient, and inclusive development.”

“It is highly critical to ensure trade growth, long-term sustainability and resilience of investments, while minimizing actual degradations on ecosystems along the Nepal’s road network, which carries 90 percent of passengers and goods movement,” said Oceane Keou, World Bank Task Team Leader of the Nepal Project and co-Task Team Leader of the Program. “The project will implement an innovative green and resilient highway corridor concept in Nepal, based on a landscape-level development approach.”

In the second phase, the program will include Bhutan.

“A key focus of the ACCESS program is to support solutions that can most effectively reduce dwell times at trade gateways, which is vital to lowering trade costs. This entails greater border cooperation and coordination within and between countries, cutting down the physical inspection of goods, and simplifying regulations and processes,” said Erik Nora, World Bank Task Team Leader of the program. “

The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has prohibited begging in public places.

Issuing a notice on Friday, the metropolis said that begging will not be allowed in the streets, alleys, public places, parks, around government offices, public vehicles among others.

The City, however, said that the saints can ask for alms only by visiting the houses as per sanatan tradition.

The decision was taken on the basis of policies endorsed by the 11th session of the Municipal Council.

The decision will be implemented within 10 days, the metropolis said.

Those who violated the rule will be punished in accordance with Article 126 of the National Criminal Code 2074 BS, Local Government Operation Act 2074 BS and prevailing law, the notice said.

A person died and six other sustained injuries in a tractor accident in Bajhang on Thursday.

The deceased has been identified as Naresh Bohara (27).

The tractor (Su.Pa.Pra. 02001 Ta 1308) was heading towards home after completing the work at Ratopadma in Surma Rural Municipality-2 when the incident occurred last night.

DSP Gyan Bahadur Bista, Chief at the District Police Office, Bajhang, said that the tractor fell some 20 metres down the road.

He said that the injured have already returned home after receiving primary treatment at the District Hospital.

Thames International College is organizing Thames Assemblage 2022 is bringing together the three annual flagship events Nepal Social Work Symposium, Thames Business Gabfest, and Art Carnival.

The Assemblage will be held at Taragaon Museum on July 7 and 8, 2022, and will gather leading experts, practitioners, intellectuals, and students to deliberate upon various issues and ideas through interdisciplinary lenses, as relevant to the dynamic environment we live in. It will also bring together students in a celebration of their artistic expressions.

Academics, public intellectuals, civil society leaders, politicians, civil servants, non-profit professionals, activists, social workers, media personalities, entrepreneurs, business thinkers, strategists, technologists, economists, writers, poets, artists, and educators are invited as guest speakers.

This year, Thames is making an effort to invite speakers and address topics we feel would resonate with young, aspiring students. Students as young as high school students can participate in the symposium as the audience.  Former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai will speak on: Nepal after 10 years: social and economic perspectives. Editor-in-Chief of Kantipur Daily Sudheer Sharma will speak on Geopolitics and Nepal.