The broad contours of such an investment program are known. We can think of an arc around the top of the Bay of Bengal, an economic corridor of ports and hubs from Chittagong in the east to Dhaka, Mongla, Calcutta, and Haldia in the west. This base would support a large transport grid. East-west railroads and highways would link the eastern Indian hill states with West Bengal through Bangladesh. Similar grids could be developed for energy and power.
Opportunities abound too for cross-border coordination in tourism and environmental protection.
These are just broad concepts. The time has now come to translate them into bankable investment projects. At this meeting we hope governments will initiate the process of identifying sectors and projects, and prioritizing projects for financing. ADB is ready to help. This is only a beginning.