Silchar, Feb 25: "If China and India come close to each other, there will be a huge improvement in the field of information and technology," said Cha Jian, a participant of BCIM car rally which reached the town this afternoon.
Cha Jian, a resident of China, said that this rally would strengthen the bond between both the countries, besides it would boost trade and flow of investment, tourism and will build people–to–people contact. According to him, there is an urgent need of bilateral ties between both the countries keeping in mind the present situation of the world. A total of 78 representatives from four countries– Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar, were welcomed here at District Sports Association with a colourful cultural programme in which different communities and tribes presented their culture.
Dr Mohammed Ariz Ahmed, commissioner Hills and Barak Valley region, said that the rally was not only important to boost trade but also to connect the philosophies, heritage, technologies and religion of the countries. He opined that the religion especially Buddhism had connected the people of different nations with India. He said that the objective of the rally, besides being cultural and commercial, was also to highlight connectivity between North–East Asia and South–West China through Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Sushmita Dev, MLA and chairperson of Silchar Municipality Board, said that it was the vision of the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, to strengthen the bond between these neighbouring countries. She hoped that this rally would translate into better and positive relations of the three important countries with India. She opined that the relation between these countries would be very crucial in the near future.
Dilwar Hussain, leader of the Bangladesh delegation, said that the rally was organized to promote and exchange business and cultural relations between the South Asian countries and to spread the message of peace and amity. Sunil Misra, leader, India, said that he was taken aback by witnessing the responses from the people in the town. He pointed out that people especially in Barak Valley came out on the road so enthusiastically to cheer the participants of the rally which was an "amazing experience" for him. He at the same time expressed his gratitude towards the district administration for such a grand welcome. Harendra Kumar Dev Mahanta, deputy commissioner of Cachar, welcomed the participants of the rally. He said that this would foster friendship between these countries which are geographically close to each others.
Significantly, the car rally would cover three thousand kilometres in 12 days while moving through the four countries. After spending the night here, the rally would resume its journey in the morning tomorrow to enter Manipur through Jirighat–Jiribam. Prodyut Kumar Bordoloi, Minister of Power, will flag off the rally from here. The BCIM rally would reach Imphal to enter Mandalay via Ka Lay and then to Ruili and from there to Tengchong and Erhai Lake. The final lag covers Erhai Lake to Dali and then to Kunming. This entire route will be covered from February 22 to March 5. (Source:SentinelAssam)