Four Saarc countries are close to signing a deal that would allow movement of vehicles through their borders just like in the European Union countries.

Bangladesh, India, Bhutan and Nepal, have drawn up a draft plan for seamless transit of passenger, cargo and personal vehicles between the countries.

The agreement will allow vehicles to ply designated routes in the four countries and reduce cost and time of unloading and loading of people and goods at the borders, making cross-border trade more efficient, officials said.

This sub-regional move is an initiative parallel to the proposed Saarc Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA) and will be open also to other neighbouring countries, sources said.

India, Bhutan and Nepal have accepted a Bangladesh recommendation to keep the membership of this sub-regional group open so that neighbouring countries like Myanmar and China can connect to the region, a senior official at the foreign ministry told The Daily Star.

Transport secretaries along with senior officials of the four countries met in Kolkata on February 2-3 to finalise the draft MVA. A transport ministers’ meeting in May or June is expected to approve the deal.

This would help transform transport corridors linking the four countries into economic corridors and increase people-to-people contact, diplomatic sources said.