Council of Advisers approve proposal for Trans-Asian Railway network

Dhaka, May 5 (UNI) Bangladesh, Council of Advisers, with Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed in the chair, today approved a proposal for signing the Inter-governmental Agreement on a Trans-Asian Railway Network.

The Agreement is designed to facilitate train trips through the continent and the land-linked countries.

It will help to develop transport communications in Asia and surrounding countries, gradually connecting the European countries with the trans-border railway, which will enter Bangladesh from three directions in the west and get out through a single gateway on the eastern front.

The meeting asked the Foreign Ministry to take ''necessary action'' to sign the treaty, according to the Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Syed Fahim Munaim.

The three routes passing through Bangladesh under the historic transport treaty are-- 1) Gede (West Bengal, India) Darshona (Kushtia, Bangladesh)-Ishwardhy-Jamuna Bridge-Joydevepur-Akhaura-Chittagong-Dohazari-Gundhum-Myanmar, 2) Singabad (West Bengal)-Rajshahi (Bangladesh)-Iswardy-Jamuna Bridge-Jodevpur-Akhaura-Chittagong-Dohazari-Ghundum-Myanmar and 3) Radhikapur(West Bengal)-Dinajpur-Ishwardy-Jamuna Bridge-Joydevpur-Akhaura-Chittagong-Dohazari-Gundhum-Myanmar.

Earlier in November 2006, a conference on Transport in South Korea, organised by the UN ESCAP, approved a proposal for striking the agreement. Eighteen countries, including China, Nepal, Iran and Indonesia, were signatories to the deal.

The deadline for signing the agreement was set from November 10-11, 2006 to December 2008. Countries interested in the agreement will have to ink the accord at the UN Headquarters in New York.

The biggest venture in rail communications in human history is to take effect within 90 days of signing of the deal.

The interim cabinet meeting also discussed options for modernising the Trademark Law that was enacted in 1940. However, the law is ''not functionally acceptable in line with international guidelines,'' officials said.

A committee headed by the Industries Secretary was constituted to prepare the draft of the Trademark Ordinance 2007 in line with the guidelines of the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).

The committee has been asked to submit the draft by June 30.

During the meeting, ways of making government pension processes easier and expediting action were also discussed so that pensioners could get their annuity ''timely and smoothly''.

The CA directed the concerned authorities to take ''necessary action'' in this regard and urged the Ministries to prepare separate lists of pensioners of the respective ministries.

UNI