BANGLADESH TO TAKE LINK WITH ASIAN HIGHWAY.

The government Bangladesh has provisionally decided to link with 27 countries through the proposed Asian Highway network, communications minister of Bangladesh has said. The communications ministry has selected three routes—AH 1, AH 2 and regional route AH 41. The decision will be finalised at the next meeting of the ministry, he said at a press briefing after a meeting at his office on Thursday. "It was not possible to take any positive decision on this matter before because of indecisiveness. But the present government has made the decision," Hossain said. The proposal of the ministry will be sent to the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) of the United Nations on approval by the cabinet, said the minister. "ESCAP will select routes for Bangladesh from the proposal. The work of Asian Highway will start right after their approval," he said. "The work will be mainly renovating the existing roads and the money will come from the joint funds of ESCAP and Bangladesh," he added. The 495 kilometers long AH 1 will connect Tamabil, Sylhet, Kachpur, Dhaka, Jessore and Benapol. The 805 kilometers long AH 2 will connect Banglabandha of Panchagarh, Hati-Kamrul of Sirajganj, Dhaka, Kachpur and Tamabil, while the 752-kilometer AH 41 will link Mongla of Bagerhat, Jessore, Dhaka, Teknaf of Cox's Bazar. Some roads will be included into more than one route. Japan, South Korea, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nepal, the Philippines, China, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Bhutan, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Laos and Malaysia are among the countries Bangladesh is going to be connected with. Roads and railway secretary ASM Ali Kabir and officials of the foreign, defence, home and finance ministries, External Relations Department, roads and highways and railway departments were present at the meeting.