NEW DELHI: A South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation car rally, which will touch all the member-nations, will be flagged off from Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, on March 15 and it will reach here in time for the April 3 and 4 SAARC summit.

"The rally, comprising teams from all countries in the region, will cover more than 8,000 km in 31days," an External Affairs Ministry statement said on Thursday.

Private partnership

The rally, scheduled to conclude in Maldives on April 14, is being organised in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry. It has private sector partners from other SAARC nations as well as sponsors. "This highlights the role and contribution the private sector plays in our growth and development. A series of promotional events has been planned in some of the major cities in the region," the statement said.

"These will focus attention on our rich cultural heritage, our shared history, encourage people-to-people contacts and generate goodwill."

Manmohan's proposal

During the 13th SAARC summit in Dhaka in November 2005, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh proposed re-connection of South Asia.

Regional connectivity

"He proposed that we organise a South Asian car rally in the run-up to the next summit in New Delhi. The rally would symbolise our regional identity, highlight our regional connectivity and draw attention to the need to improve our SAARC transport infrastructure," the statement said.

"All the SAARC countries have welcomed this proposal and are cooperating, extending their full support and hospitality for the successful implementation of the SAARC car rally... [it] symbolises the spirit of SAARC, where our cultural and civilisational commonality translates to bring about a very high degree of connectivity amongst the countries of our subcontinent. The motto of the car rally, `Connecting People, Strengthening Ties', captures this spirit."

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