The Hindu Business Line : BPCL diesel exports to Bangladesh from Numaligarh yet to take off

Kolkata, Oct 12 Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd’s (BPCL) bid to export diesel from its Numaligarh refinery in Assam to Bangladesh by barges is believed to have run into rough weather. The first shipment was due to take place in July; however, nothing has happened as yet. As per the agreement, BPCL is to execute six monthly shipments of 10,000 each between July and December.

The reason: The Government is yet to incorporate Silghat, the river port on the Brahmaputra, as the loading port in the India-Bangladesh Protocol on Trade and Transit.

According to the transportation plan finalised between BPCL and the authorities concerned in Bangladesh, diesel will be transported by road from Numaligarh refinery to Silghat; at Silghat there will be barge loading of the diesel for onward shipment to Barabari in Bangladesh.

‘Will be resolved soon’

Mr A.K. Mohapatra, Secretary, Ministry of Shipping, told Business Line that the whole issue was under active consideration of the Union Government and the decision would be taken shortly.

The present protocol was valid up to Pandu, also on the bank of the Brahmaputra river, whereas Silghat was located about 100 km beyond Pandu. “The scope of the protocol is being extended to include Silghat and the whole issue will be resolved soon,” Mr Mohapatra said, discounting the possibility of any other hurdle in this matter.

“All sides are equally keen,” he observed.

A spokesperson for BPCL declined to admit that there had been delay but conceded that the issue had been hanging since the beginning of the year. “We’re waiting for all the statutory clearances from both the countries,” the spokesperson observed.

Transportation

However inquiries reveal that the transportation issue too has become somewhat uncertain. Earlier, it was planned that two tanker barges , “Naharkatiya” and “Barauni” acquired on lease by a Kolkata-based private river transport company from the state-owned Central Inland Water Transport Corporation (CIWTC) would be deployed for the purpose.

However, the two-year lease agreement between CIWTC and Kolkata-based company expired recently and CIWTC , it is reported, declined to renew the agreement. Instead, it entered into a new agreement with a Mumbai-based company on the basis of tender.

It is not known if the Mumbai-based river transport company will make available the barges for diesel shipment to Bangladesh even if the protocol issue is resolved early. When asked, Mr Mohapatra replied that the Ministry was concerned with the protocol issue.

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