‘India-funded projects to continue in Bangladesh’

Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed also said that Dhaka looks forward to “enhanced cooperation” with New Delhi during his meeting with Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma here, the state-run BSS news agency reported.

“Already, the projects they (India) have with us are big projects, and we’ll continue those, as those are not small projects and we’ll take another big project for the benefits of ours…,” the report quoted him as saying.

“We’ll not stop on whatever we have got, and we’ll talk about those projects …funding of the projects and also their implementation part,” he added.

The financial adviser’s remarks come amid concerns about the timely implementation of projects funded under India’s three lines of credit following the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government last month after a mass uprising.

Indian envoy Verma said New Delhi has not stopped any of its line of credit projects to Bangladesh as those are major projects.

“Those projects are going on, and those are basically very big projects and located at different sites. So, the contractors will be coming back to start the projects,” he was quoted as saying in the report.

Ahmed thanked the Indian government for their continued cooperation and said, “We’re looking forward to future and enhanced cooperation.”

Addressing the importance of the Indian-funded projects, he said they were initiated based on Bangladesh’s own needs. “While there have been some disbursement issues, we are in the process of resolving them.”

In the meeting the two sides also discussed ways to enhance the existing bilateral economic cooperation.

Asserting that India is “next door and a big neighbour of Bangladesh”, Ahmed said both nations have many areas of economic cooperation and trade.

“We’ve assured him (Verma) that Bangladesh is a very good place for investment and economic cooperation. They (the Indian side) have taken note and they will continue the cooperation,” he said.