A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Wednesday between Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) and Roads and Highways Department, Government of Bangladesh for movement of Indian POL/LPG carrying vehicles through territory of Bangladesh.
The heavy monsoons this year damaged road infrastructure in North East India, causing disruption in supplies of Petroleum products through Assam.
This necessitated an urgent alternate route to continue supply of petroleum goods to the Indian North Eastern States Tripura, South Assam and Mizoram.
This MoU facilitates movement of Petroleum Goods, including Motor Spirit, High-Speed Diesel, Superior Kerosene Oil, and Liquefied Petroleum Gas, using an alternate route via the territory of Bangladesh.
This movement of Petroleum/LPG road tankers through Bangladesh is temporary, only for a short period of a few months, to help address the immediate need for an alternative supply route, the Indian High Commission said.
The validity of the MoU is till November 2022. Further, the MoU stipulates certain administrative fees, charges, local tolls, and other expenses including a cost of BDT 1.85 per ton per km for road usage which will be borne by IOCL.
The Route used will be Dawki (Meghalaya) – Tamabil (Bangladesh) – Sylhet – Fenchuganj (using Sylhet bypass) – Rajnagar – Moulvibazar /Brahmanbazar- Shameshernagar – Chatlapur (Bangladesh) – Kailasshar (Tripura).
The Petroleum/LPG road tankers will enter and exit in a sealed condition from Dawki – Tamabil and Chatlapur – Kailasshar respectively. The tankers will traverse approximately 140 km in Bangladesh.
A similar MoU was signed in 2016 which allowed for supply of petroleum products from Assam to Tripura via Bangladesh, for similar reasons, for a short period of time.