PM seeks India’s support to import power from Bhutan

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday sought assistance from India for importing electricity from Bhutan through its territories.

She made the request when Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma called on her at the Gono Bhaban.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, PM’s speech writer M Nazrul Islam said, “The prime minister has sought support from India to import electricity from Bhutan smoothly.”

He said Bangladesh will import electricity from Bhutan and an agreement in this regard will be signed when the Bhutanese king visits on March 25.

Sources said Bangladesh initially plans to import around 1,500MW electricity from Bhutan and that discussion on this issue between the two sides has almost completed.

Hasina also urged the Indian government to withdraw its anti-dumping measures on shipments of jute and jute goods from Bangladesh.

She said India can modernise the Syedpur railway workshop in Nilphamari.

The premier, also the Awami League president, told the envoy that Bangladesh has made unprecedented development because of continuation of democracy in the country.

She mentioned that after the assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and until 1996, victory in the national elections used to be decided by a “certain quarter”.

That is why the AL could not win the 1991 election despite having public support, Hasina said.

“But in 1996, the same quarter bowed to the desire of the mass people. Awami League for the first time won the election that year,” she said.

Verma mentioned that four projects were implemented in Bangladesh under the Indian Line of Credit (LOC) last year.

“And two more projects are in the pipeline for implementation.” he said.

The high commissioner said his country is committed to taking forward the Bangladesh-India negotiations for Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

He said CEPA would be helpful after Bangladesh’s graduation to a developing economy in 2026 from a least developed country.

The diplomat said discussions are going on to prepare a new framework for the LOC to make it project-based.

In the power and energy sector, India expressed its willingness to establish a high-power grid line through Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal for transmission of power easily to any part of the four countries.

Verma conveyed greetings from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Hasina.

He invited the Bangladesh premier to visit India after the national elections there. Hasina accepted the invitation, said Nazrul.