AGARTALA, June 20 (TIWN): With another boon for the entire north eastern region the proposed India-Bangladesh rail connectivity is now all set to grow the country’s as well the north eastern state’s including Tripura’s economy with easy access to the neighbouring country Bangladesh’s Ashuganj and Chitagong port, said state secretary for transport Samarjit Bhowmik on Saturday. Most importantly on yet another milestone for the land-locked Tripura, the state government looking forward to extend its helping hand towards Bangladesh boosting up its trading business. Expressing his pleasure over the proposed rail link between Tripura and Bangladesh Bhowmik said, “Bangladesh Govt has helped Tripura bringing heavy materials for installing Palatana 750 MW power plant. Now it’s Tripura’s turn to extend helping hand towards the Bangladesh by rail link.”The 15km-long railway link between Agartala and Akhaura railway junction in Brahmanbaria district of Bangladesh is expected to be commissioned by the year 2017. Bhowmik talking to the reporters here at the civil secretariat after the NITI Aayog meeting informed that, the delegation from the Railway Ministry would arrive here at the state very shortly to take a stock of the present status of the land prior to the land acquisition process.Bhowmik said, “Earlier the Ministry had demanded for 91 acres of land but the recent NITI Aayog meeting has decided to reduce the land volume by 25 acres to lay the rail tracks.” Adding to that he said that this would be finalised after the team from the ministry arrive here, scheduled very recently.

 In regard of the land acquisition Bhowmik said, “We have asked the Ministry of railways to release at least 60 per cent of the fund so that we can start the land acquisition procedure.” 

However, this has of course cleared that until the proposed fund is released by the center the land acquisition could be carried.It is worthy to be mentioned here that the recently held NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Dr. Manoj Singh (Advisor), Transport had proposed to commission the entire project work by 2017.“Approximately Rs. 460 crore would be needed for building the rail line here in Tripura Agartala to Akhaura which would stretched about 5 km amongst the 15 km rail line,” Bhowmik said to the reporters. He also said that earlier Rs. 302 crore was demanded to acquire around 98 acres of land in India for laying the tracks. 

However, this would be reduced now as an overhead rail line would be laid from Agartala Badharghat rail station towards the Agartala Akhaura.Adding Bhowmik said, “With an aim to reduce the estimated costs of the project the NITI Aayog has decided to lay an overhead rail line from Badharghat rail station towards Agartala Akhaura covering a total of 2.5 km amongst the 5 km from the Indian part. The rest 2.5 km rail line would be laid in land.”

“The fund for the Indo-Bangla rail project would be released by the Ministry of Railways, Govt. of India, because the Ministry of Development of North eastern Region (DoNER) has refused to release the fund though earlier it was decided that the DoNER ministry would release the fund for the project,” Bhowmik said.

However, later interacting with the newsmen here at the civil secretariat Bhowmik expressed, “"The new railway connectivity between the North-Eastern (N-E) state and Bangladesh will boost socio-economic, trade and business ties between these two countries. After the commissioning of the railway project, Tripura would act as a corridor to the southeast Asian countries.”

He said that better linkages between India and Bangladesh would improve relations besides boosting economic relations between the two countries.

Bhowmik also said, “The proposed rail link between Tripura and Bangladesh would also help the land-locked state and the entire north eastern region to easily access the Bangladesh Ashuganj and the Chittagong ports.” Adding to that Bhowmik also said, “We have received a very good helping hand from the Bangladesh government in bring such heavy materials and machineries through their port for installing a biggest power plant here in Tripura Palatana.”

Tripura's capital Agartala came on the country's railway map in October 2008. At present, the distance between Agartala and Kolkata is 1,650 km which would get reduced to 650 km if a line is constructed through Bangladesh.