Staff Reporter:
Bangladesh would be able to set up railway links with Bhutan and Nepal through Indian territories in exchange for providing New Delhi with railway transit to India’s north-eastern states.
Bangladesh Railway Director General Sardar Shahadat Ali and Ministry of Railways Humayun Kabir made the disclosure to reporters on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last week signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi providing rail transit to India. A trial run on one of the proposed rail routes would be conducted next month.
Among the proposed 12 routes, India also sought rail link with Bhutan via Bangladeshi land. There were confusions about whether Bangladesh too would get to use Indian land for driving trains to Bhutan.
Bangladesh Railway chief and railway ministry secretary ended speculation on Wednesday, saying Bangladeshis would be able to travel to both Nepal and Bhutan through Indian territories.
Bangladesh signed transit agreements with Nepal and Bhutan in 1976 and 1984, but has failed to utilize the deals due to reservations among Indian authorities about allowing the use of their land.
A proposed 1,275-km railway, linking India’s West Bengal with its seven north-eastern states through Bangladesh, would also allow Bangladesh to send cargoes and passengers to Nepal, Indian media outlets reported citing the country’s railway department.
On the other hand, Bangladesh can use Indian rail tracks to reach West Bengal’s Hasimara Railway Station which is only 18 kilometres away from southern Bhutanese border town of Phuntsholing.
