IRU in Delhi this week as India’s first TIR transports come into sight

Participating in the IRF’s World Road Meeting in Delhi this week, IRU sent a strong message of support for the speedy implementation of TIR to facilitate regional connectivity and economic growth.

IRU Secretary General, Umberto de Pretto, was joined by a distinguished panel at a session on innovation to talk about the transformation of mobility, which examined technological drivers affecting the industry and IRU’s role in leading change with tools such as e-CMR and digital TIR.

He separately met with key actors in customs and transit, to ensure the speedy implementation of TIR, following India’s recent accession to the Convention. Meetings with Vanaja N. Sarma, Chairman of the Central Board of Excise and Customs, highlighted the activation of the International North South Corridor (INSTC), linking India with Iran and eventually Eurasia and Europe, with a pledge from Ms Sarma to send the first TIR containers from Mumbai to Bandar Abbas early next year.

Dr Sanjaya Baru, Secretary General of the recently joined IRU member, FICCI, also met with Mr de Pretto to reinforce the close partnership with IRU in making TIR operational during the coming months.

IRU organised a special session at the World Road Meeting on “transport and transit facilitation in South and South East Asia; current initiatives and next steps”. In this meeting experts from the public and private sectors discussed the challenges of connectivity in the region and highlighted the TIR system’s capability to implement the Bangladesh Bhutan India Nepal Motor Vehicle Agreement (BBIN MVA) as well as the activation of the INSTC corridor.

Kazem Asayesh, Senior Adviser on TIR and Trade Facilitation at IRU, welcomed India`s accession to TIR and invited other countries in the region to put aside the obsolete practice of transshipment at borders – which increases the time and costs of transport and trade – to implement BBIN MVA and to join the TIR family to begin benefitting economically from regional integration.

He confirmed that over the next week, Iran and India`s public and private sectors will discuss the first TIR operations for the INSTC corridor.