Shri Nitin Gadkari leaves for Brazil to attend global conference on traffic safety
Shri Nitin Gadkari leaves for Brazil to attend global conference on traffic
safety
Minister for Road Transport &Highways and
Shipping, Shri Nitin Gadkari leaves for Brazil today to attend the two day “2nd
High Level Global Conference on Traffic Safety – Time of Results” in Brasilia
on the 18th and 19th of November, 2015. The conference is slated to be one of
the most important discussions in the world on traffic safety, and aims to
reaffirm the international community’s commitment towards reduction of traffic
accidents that are responsible for 1.2 million fatalities every year.
One of the major objectives of the event is to review the progress made by countries in implementing the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, which aims to save five million lives on the planet through the adoption of policies, programs, actions and legislations to increase safety on the roads especially for pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists .
The First Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety was held in Russia in 2009.. Thereafter, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution for "Improving Global Road Safety", in 2014. The resolution expresses a concern about the fact that only 7% of the global population is protected by appropriate traffic laws, which provide mandatory use of helmets, seat belts and protective devices for children in vehicles, prohibition of driving under the influence of alcohol, speed control and prohibition of the use of mobile phones while driving, including sending text messages, which are the five key-factors of risk on transit
According to WHO’s Global Status Report on Road Safety 2013, 35 countries, accounting for nearly 10% of the world population, have passed laws tackling one or more of the five key-factors of risk between 2008 and 2011. However the number of countries with comprehensive legislation about all five key-factors of risk remained constant at 28 (representing 7% of the world population, or 449 million people) since the last WHO report in 2009. The goal of the Global Plan is that, at the end of the Decade of Action, the number of countries with comprehensive legislation on the subject increase by 50%.
The 2nd High Level Global Conference on Traffic Safety – Time of Results emerges from the UN resolution on “Improving Global Road Safety”. Led by the World Health Organization (WHO) , the conference aims to strengthen the commitment of the international community around policies, legislations, measures and actions that can halt the factors that cause 1.2 million deaths worldwide and physical trauma to another 30 to 50 million people due to traffic accidents every year,. The fatalities primarily affect children and young people from 5 to 29 years, and young men are the main victims.
India, along with host country Brazil is one of the Friends of the Decade of Action for Road Safety - an informal group committed to the success of the global plan. Others in the group are the Russian Federation, the United States, Spain, France, Australia , Argentina, Costa Rica, , Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Philippines, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, Uruguay, World Health Organization, the World Bank, the Economic Commission for Europe, the Global Commission for Traffic Safety (linked to the International Automobile Federation) and the Global Security Partnership in Traffic (linked to the International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent).
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India and Bangladesh sign Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to
operationalize agreement on coastal shipping.
India and Bangladesh signed the Standard Operating
Procedure (SOP) in New Delhi today, to operationalize the “Agreement on Coastal
Shipping” signed between the two countries in June, 2015. The SOP was signed by
the Joint DG (Shipping) Ministry of Shipping, Government of India and Chief
Engineer and Ship Surveyer, Department of Shipping, Government of Bangladesh in
the presence of Shri Nitin Gadkari, Minister
of Shipping and Road Transport and Highways. Speaking on the occasion Shri
Gadkari said that once it is operational, the Coastal Shipping Agreement will
enable a huge saving in logistic costs of EXIM transport between the two
countries. The SOP has been framed as per the terms and conditions
of the Agreement on Coastal Shipping and both India and Bangladesh have agreed
to its provisions. Shri Rajive Kumar, Secretary Shipping Government
of India and Shri Shafique Alam Mehdi,
Secretary Shipping Government of Bangladesh were also present on
the occasion.
The Standard Operating Procedure will pave the way
to promote coastal shipping between India and Bangladesh and would enhance
bilateral trade between the two countries by bringing down the cost of
transportation of EXIM cargo. The SOP contains provisions which stipulate that
India and Bangladesh shall render same treatment to the other country's vessels
as it would have done to its national vessels used in international sea
transportation. The two sides have also agreed upon the use of vessels of
River Sea Vessel (RSV) category for Indo-Bangladesh coastal shipping.
The two countries will also hold Shipping Secretary
level talks on 16th Nov, 2015 which will cover the issues
relating to MoU on passenger and cruise vessel movement, discussion on the
protocol to operationalize the MoU on use of Mongla and Chittagong ports,
payment of transit fees and bank guarantee, dredging of rivers in the protocol
route using Regional IDA Assistance of World Bank Assistance, discussion on
various upcoming port projects in Bangladesh.
India and
Bangladesh have a Bilateral Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT)
for operation of inland vessels on the river protocol routes between river
ports of Haldia, Kolkata, Pandu, Karimganj and Silghat in India and
Narayanganj, Khulna, Mongla, Sirajganj and Ashuganj in Bangladesh. This
protocol between the two countries has facilitated the movement of EXIM trade
as well as cargo bound for the North Eastern states of India. Out of a total of
1.8 million tonnes of cargo moved on Indo-Bangladesh protocol route during
2013-14, about 98% is fly ash which is transported from Kolkata to various
river ports in Bangladesh. During the current financial year, India for
the first time is using the Indo-Bangladesh river protocol to transport food
grains via Ashuganj to Tripura. However, the quantum of cargo has not
picked up because of low draft in the upper reaches of Bangladesh rivers and
also because of certain non-trade barriers.
Rapid growth in bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh has led to
congestion on the road at Indo-Bangladesh border and at the Land Custom
Stations/integrated Check Posts. The traffic congestion at “Petrapole”
and “Benapole” on the Bangladesh side has emerged as one of the biggest
impediments to the movement of EXIM cargo. Due to such congestion, the
exporters/importers on both sides have been facing undue increase in the
transportation cost.
The present connectivity through sea route with
Bangladesh is through ports of Colombo and Singapore. The long sea route adds
significantly to the transportation costs of EXIM trade. There is no
significant cargo movement between sea ports of Bangladesh and India as it is
not profitable for the big vessels to operate between these sea ports.
Under such circumstances there is a need for smaller ships to provide direct
connectivity of eastern sea ports of India with Chittagong and other ports in
Bangladesh. This, besides improving the connectivity will also provide
competitive freight rates.
The biggest impediment in commencing coastal shipping between India and
Bangladesh was the non-availability of River Sea Vessel class of vessels in
Bangladesh. Bangladesh has foreign going vessels of higher technical and
manning standards which are not cost effective for coastal voyage between the
two countries. The matter was discussed with Bangladesh side during the
Secretary (Shipping) level discussion in Dhaka in July, 2012 and again in Delhi
in February, 2013.
Several Joint Technical Committee (JTCs) meetings have also taken place between
India and Bangladesh on the issue of coastal shipping. The previous
engagements finally culminated in a broad understanding on coastal shipping on
24th June, 2014 in Dhaka. Thereafter, an Agreement on Coastal Shipping
between Bangladesh and India was finalized and signed on 6th June,
2015 during the visit of Hon'ble Prime Minster of India to Bangladesh. The
cooperation in coastal shipping between the two countries would be based on the
principles of national sovereignty, mutual benefits as per national laws and
international conventions.
Advantages of the Agreement:
1) The opening of coastal shipping between India
and Bangladesh would enable the movement of cargo to the North East through
coastal shipping upto Chittagong and thereafter by road/inland waterways.
2) The deep draft ports on the eastern coast
of India can be ‘hub ports’ for the onward transportation of cargo to
Bangladesh via the coastal mode through RSV category of vessels.
3) The Indian ports will attract enhanced cargo and
also the overall transportation cost to Bangladesh will get reduced.
4) The Indian ports serving as trans- shipment
ports for Bangladesh cargo will derive benefits by way of enhanced throughput
as a result of Indo-Bangladesh coastal trade.
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