DHAKA: Business community of Bangladesh must be aggressive to maximize trade benefit with India, experts said Monday.

They said problems related to Teesta water sharing treaty, Tipaimukh dam, maritime and land boundary disputes and non-tariff barrier in trade must be solved before the upcoming visit of Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to add a momentum to the relationship between the two next-door neighbors.

The views came from a round table discussion at a city hotel organised by the Bengali Daily Bhorer Kagoj titled ‘Pranab Mukharjee’s Visit: Impact on Bangladesh-India Relations’.

Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni, Editor of the Daily Sun Prof. Dr. Anwar Hossain, President of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) AK Azad, Transport expert Dr. M Rahmatullah, former foreign secretary Syed Muazzem Ali, columnist Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury and former ambassador Shafi Ullah spoke at the discussion.

Shyamol Datta, Editor of Bhorer Kagoj, chaired the discussion while Dr Imtiaz Ahmed of Dhaka University presented a keynote.

Dipu Moni said the recently signed US$ one billion credit agreement would help Bangladesh develop its rail and waterways.

In response to a criticism over upgrading the Ashuganj port for heavy equipment transportation by India to a power project in Tripura, Moni said Bangladesh would ask for electricity from the project.

Dr Imtiaz in his keynote advised the business community to be aggressive in trade with India. “They have to be calculative with products to get market in India in the longer term,” he said.

He also prescribed a tri-national trade partnership between Bangladesh, China and India.

Dr. Anwar Hossain said those who oppose age-old connectivity between Bangladesh and India, which began during Sher Shah’s regime back in 1540, were lagging behind than Sher Shah.

AK Azad said the government and business community have to emphasise on the north-east, but also all over the India to increase export from Bangladesh.

BDST:  HRS 1900. August 23, 2010