Saarc transport ministers meet in Delhi Aug 31

Communication ministers of Saarc countries will meet in New Delhi on August 31 to discuss ways and means to strengthen connectivity among eight of its member states.
The emphasis of the meet would be on greater connectivity of the member countries through road networks, official sources said.
As per the decision of the 14th Saarc Summit, which put emphasis on connectivity among the member states, communication and transport ministers of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will attend the meeting, said officials.
Delegations from each country will comprise officials from ministries of foreign affairs, civil aviation, communication and shipping. Communication Adviser Major Gen (Retd) MA Matin will lead the Bangladesh delegation at the meet, official sources said yesterday.
India as the current chair of the Saarc will be hosting this first-ever Saarc communication ministers' meet and it has already prepared a draft of Saarc Regional Motor Vehicle Agreement that is to be placed in the ministerial meet. The ministerial meet will be preceded by an expert-level meeting today (August 29) followed by an inter-governmental expert group meeting on August 30, said official sources.
One of the proposals in the Saarc Regional Motor Vehicle Agreement states that citizens of any member country would be able to drive through Saarc countries in their personal cars for personal purposes such as attending a friend's wedding. The visitors would receive three-day visas and they would encounter minimum hassles at border check posts.
India is expected to introduce this visa and travel facility from next month, official sources added.
Sources said the draft, modelled after the system developed by the European Union, also recommends ways to do away with physical and non-physical barriers in the way of regional transport movement and to facilitate smooth movement of goods. At present, there is very limited point-to-point transport service in the region, communications ministry sources said.
The three-day meet will also discuss the viability of a multi-modal transport study that identified 16 roads, rail tracks, aviation rout, shipping and inland corridors in the region to ensure connectivity.