🇧🇩 Is it a Transit or Corridor? Will it be used for economic or Military purpose?

[Saif]

After 55 years, India will inaugurate a new railway line with Bangladesh to save its ‘Chicken’s Neck’ from China | Business Insider India

India is saving its ‘Chicken’s Neck’ from China as it inaugurates a new railway line with Bangladesh after 55 years.

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After 55 years, India will inaugurate a new railway line with Bangladesh to save its 'Chicken's Neck' from China
Prabhjote Gill
Dec 16 2020 09:00 IST

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• India and Bangladesh are set to inaugurate a new railway line that will resume trans-border railway connectivity between the two countries after 55 years.​
• It will also serve as a way for India to bolster its connectivity to Chicken's Neck, also called the Siliguri Corridor, that connects the rest of the country to the eight northeastern states.​
• The slender transit zone is flanked by China, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan.​

India and Bangladesh are set to inaugurate a new railway line that will connect West Bengal to Chilahati across the border on December 16. On paper, the route will serve to improve trade and trans-border railway connectivity will resume between the two countries after a gap of five decades.

But, on the ground, the 75-kilometre long railway line will bring the rest of India a little closer to the 'Chicken's Neck', also called the Siliguri Corridor, to counter China's growing aggressiveness in the North East.

According to the Lowly Institute, it's integral that India saves its Chicken's Neck from China — especially considering that it's already locked in a face-off against the dragon in Eastern Ladakh.

The thin stretch of land gets its name from being only 22-kilometres wide. And, it will be less than 100 kilometres from the new railway line.
The narrow bridge of land is the only connection between the rest of India and its eight north-eastern states. At the same time, the slender transit zone is flanked by China, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan.

'Chicken's Neck' is a point of strategic anxiety for India

In the past, Nath-La Pass and Doklam, have served as the stage for the two Asian giants to battle their claims. And, for China to take over Chicken's Neck, it would only have to move its army inland by 130 kilometres.

The strategic anxiety around the region is only heightened by China's continued road and airstrip construction activities on its side of the border, which could allow it to mobilise rapidly in the region.

Cognizant of the threat, the area is constantly patrolled by a number of entities including the Indian Army, the Assam Rifles, the Border Security Force, and the West Bengal Police. India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) is also known to closely monitor activity in the region as well.

India is also looking at fast-tracking the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India Nepal (BBIN) initiative which will boost connectivity among the South Asian neighbours through rail and road.​

 

[Bilal9]

বাংলাদেশের ভেতর দিয়ে চলবে ভারতের রেল - সমস্যাগুলো হবে যেখানে

Whatever benefit we Bangladeshis are supposed to get by connectivity to Nepal or Bhutan is nothing compared to India's huge benefit to connect with Agartala via Bangladesh or even bypass Chicken's Neck via rail to Cooch Behar from WB.

India gains strategic geopolitical benefit (which they desperately want) with the looming cloud of conflict with China in Arunachal and in the border near Sikkim - but all we gain is angering China, to the complete detriment of investments and economic uplift help in our country from China. Our need for economic development CANNOT BE SACRIFICED TO HELP INDIAN GEOPOLITICAL ADVANTAGE.

Like the esteemed lawyer said, Bangladeshis will not tolerate these unfair, arbitrary and one-sided agreements with the incumbent Indian govt. Agreements must be mutually beneficial and equally so, based on mutual respect for sovereignty.

But current Indian foreign policy with almost all neighbors is highly immature, not farsighted and nothing to write home about, so I'm not holding my breath...

 

[Saif]

Since Hasina has granted road and rail transit to India to bypass Chicken Neck, it will reduce Bangladesh's strategic advantage vis a vis India. We need a strong nationalistic government backed by peoples mandate to revoke the transit treaty with India.

 

[Bilal9]

Since Hasina has granted road and rail transit to India to bypass Chicken Neck, it will reduce Bangladesh's strategic advantage vis a vis India. We need a strong nationalistic government backed by peoples mandate to revoke the transit treaty with India.

Bhai Saif, this is not a sustainable scenario, running Indian infra through Bangladesh, as much of a wish it is from the current Indian administration.

No one (least of all Bangladeshi authorities) can assure the security of the goods carried through this infra, much less the infra itself. One mis-step and things will quickly escalate, witness the current minor fracas about quotas in Dhaka which has now turned into a regime-change scenario in Bangladesh.

Indians have not thought this through....Bangladesh is not India.

India cannot handle another Vietnam in its Eastern flanks. Especially with the current unemployment, debt-to-GDP ratio and inflation scenario at home.

Even with highly trained RAB and shoot-at-sight orders in Bangladesh, the govt. cannot control the situation, and Indian govt. thinks it can handle things by deploying the Indian Army, the Assam Rifles, the Border Security Force, and the West Bengal Police.

I am amazed at the rank immaturity.

 

[Saif]

Bhai Saif, this is not a sustainable scenario, running Indian infra through Bangladesh, as much of a wish it is from the current Indian administration.

No one (least of all Bangladeshi authorities) can assure the security of the goods carried through this infra, much less the infra itself. One mis-step and things will quickly escalate, witness the current minor fracas about quotas in Dhaka which has now turned into a regime-change scenario in Bangladesh.

Indians have not thought this through....Bangladesh is not India.

India cannot handle another Vietnam in its Eastern flanks. Especially with the current unemployment, debt-to-GDP ratio and inflation scenario at home.

Even with highly trained RAB and shoot-at-sight orders in Bangladesh, the govt. cannot control the situation, and Indian govt. thinks it can handle things by deploying the Indian Army, the Assam Rifles, the Border Security Force, and the West Bengal Police.

I am amazed at the rank immaturity.

Bilal bhai, the Govt. has successfully granted India road transit (corridor) through Bangladesh which is operational already and built a bridge over Feni river, which is our chicken neck, for them. But the mass people and the army remained quiet about this and did not voice their concern. So, we should not bank too much on our people (a sizeable portion of them is pro-India) and the army.

 

[Saif]

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/economy/india-seeks-bd-nod-for-thega-bridge-project

India seeks BD nod for Thega bridge project
FE REPORT
Published :
Aug 03, 2024 00:26
Updated :
Aug 03, 2024 00:26

New Delhi has asked Dhaka to obtain the concurrence of relevant authorities on the road connectivity for a proposed bridge over the Thega river, linking Bangladesh and Mizoram.

The bridge will connect Chittagong seaport with Lunglei city in the Indian state of Mizoram.

To this end, the Indian Embassy in Dhaka has sent a note verbale to the foreign affairs ministry, requesting guidance on the next steps.

The foreign ministry has forwarded the note to the relevant ministries.

For the project, the note referred to previous joint statements and meetings, including the Joint Statement signed by Tipu Munshi, former commerce minister of Bangladesh, and Dr R Lalthangliana, commerce & industries minister, Government of Mizoram, and to the agreed minutes of the 15th JWG meeting held in Dhaka on 26-27 September 2023 and the sub-group and agreed minutes of the 5th Meeting of the Bangladesh-India Sub-group on Infrastructure of ICPS/LCSs held on 4-5 November 2023 in Dhaka.

In 2021, Bangladesh and India planned to build a bridge over the Thega River to facilitate the smooth movement of goods and services between Mizoram and other Indian states.

Earlier, Bangladesh planned a 660-metre-long bridge to India through the Rangamati border area, which would bring significant benefits to the country by boosting regional trade.​