India Sending 109 Ambulances to Bangladesh as A Goodwill Gesture

Kolkata: In early July, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had sent 2,600 kg mangoes for the President, Prime Minister of India and several CMs, including Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. In a reciprocal gesture, the Narendra Modi government is sending 109 ambulances to Dhaka to fight the third wave of the Covid pandemic.

In the first phase, 30 air-conditioned ambulances with all live-saving devices will move to Bangladesh from the Petrapole border. During his trip to Dhaka in March, Modi had promised to provide the ambulances to help ferry patients in crisis and sent vaccines to Bangladesh soon after inoculations started in India.

The mangoes of “Haribhanga” variety — a species of Bangladesh origin which is produced in Rangpur area — is a major delicacy as it has more fleshy part than other mangoes and for which it was sent to India, a Bangladesh diplomat said.

The Indian high commission in Dhaka had written to the SDO Bongaon on Wednesday so that the ambulances are allowed to reach the Petrapole Customs check post on a priority basis. Sanjay Jain, second secretary (projects), Indian high commission, Dhaka wanted quick clearance of the ambulances.

Kartick Chakraborty, secretary, Petrapole clearing agents’ association, said they were happy that India was sending the ambulances and it was being sent without any delay. Abhijit Mukherjee, superintendent of Customs at Petrapole, said everything was being made ready for the first consignment of the gift of ambulances to Bangladesh. He added that the ambulances will roll out on Saturday.

Source: ToI