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

[Saif]

Govt lying about rail corridor, MoUs with India: BNP

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday alleged that the government was deceiving the people of the country by spreading lies about granting...

www.newagebd.net

Govt lying about rail corridor, MoUs with India: BNP
United News of Bangladesh . Dhaka 02 July, 2024, 00:35

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday alleged that the government was deceiving the people of the country by spreading lies about granting India a rail corridor and the 10 memorandums of understanding signed in New Delhi recently.

Speaking to reporters at the grave of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman, he also accused the government of conspiring to make Bangladesh reliant on India through different anti-state agreements.

'They (the government) have never told the truth to the people of Bangladesh. They have always tried to make people fools by resorting to lies. The meaning of the signed MoUs is that they will make Bangladesh dependent on India within a very short time,' Fakhrul said.

He said that the most dangerous thing was that the rail corridor the government was granting India would not serve any purpose for Bangladesh.

'They (India) will use our land for their railway tracks. There will be no benefit for Bangladesh there… They've given (India) a partnership in air, land, and waterways. We don't have any objection to the partnership and connectivity. What has Bangladesh gained is the main question. We haven't gained anything,' the BNP leader observed.

Fakhrul said that Bangladesh also still did not get a fair share of water from the Teesta and other common rivers.

'The border killings have not stopped. No step has been taken to reduce the trade deficit. So, we're speaking the truth about the MoUs. We're not hatching any conspiracy. Rather, the illegal regime is plotting to make Bangladesh dependent on others,' he observed.

Earlier, Fakhrul, together with the new office bearers of the Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum, paid homage to Zia by placing wreaths at his grave.

They also offered a munajat seeking the salvation of Zia's departed soul.

Fakhrul alleged Awami League established fascism with one-party rule in Bangladesh by destroying all the machinery.

He said that the country's people were now not getting justice due to the lack of the rule of law. 'People are also going through ordeals due to financial constraints. Overall, Bangladesh has become a failed state,' he said.

He said that the pro-BNP lawyers today took a vow by paying homage to Zia for making the highest sacrifice for the restoration of the rule of law and democracy.

Replying to a question, Fakhrul said that their party was always against any form of local and international terrorism and extremism.

He, however, alleged that the Awami League government had been harassing its opponents and jailing them in the name of curbing extremism.​

 

[Saif]

Indian Railways pushes North-East connectivity via Bangladesh and Nepal

Indian Railways aims to connect the North East with the rest of the country through Bangladesh and Nepal, reducing travel time to the region, according to government sources. These routes will bypass the 'Chicken Neck' region in the Siliguri area of West Bengal.

www.tbsnews.net

Indian Railways pushes North-East connectivity via Bangladesh and Nepal

Railway in India. Photo: Collected

Indian Railways aims to connect the North East with the rest of the country through Bangladesh and Nepal, reducing travel time to the region, according to government sources.

These routes will bypass the 'Chicken Neck' region in the Siliguri area of West Bengal. The Railway Board has sanctioned a Final Location Survey (FLS) for approximately 1275.50 km, reports The Hindu BusinessLine.

"FLS for 14 new railway connectivity routes connecting Bangladesh, Nepal, and alternate routes towards the North-East have been sanctioned," an official in the Railway Ministry stated.

The survey includes around 500 km of new railway lines connecting Bangladesh and about 367 km of gauge conversion. In Nepal, over 200 km of new lines will be laid, while in the North East, another 212 km of lines will be constructed.

Segment-wise break-up

Nearly 250 km of new lines will be constructed along the West Bengal–Bangladesh–Meghalaya route, covering the Balurghat–Hili–Gaibandha–Mahendraganj–Tura–Mendipathar segment. Additionally, two sections of the West Bengal–Bangladesh route will see the construction of 80 km and 60 km of new railway lines, respectively.

In another segment connecting West Bengal to Assam via Bamanhat in Bangladesh, 38 km of new railway lines will be laid. For the Balurghat–Hili–Parbatipur–Kaunia–Lalmanirhat–Mogalhat–Gitaldaha section, an existing India–Bangladesh trade route, 18 km of new lines will be constructed.

The proposed Belonia–Feni–Chottogram trade route will feature 38 km of new railway lines.

Gauge conversion will take place in all these sections. Other significant segments include two West Bengal–Bangladesh–Tripura routes: the Gede–Darsana–Akhaura–Agartala route will require 100 km of gauge conversion, and the Petrapole–Benapole–Nabharon–Jessore–Rupdia–Padmabila–Lohagara–Kashiani–Shibchar–Mawa–Nimtala–Gendaria–Dhaka–Tongi–Bhairab Bazar–Akhaura–Agartala route will require 120 km of gauge conversion.

Other new routes

Improved connectivity between India and Nepal will include the construction of 190 km of new lines between Biratnagar and New Mal, along with 12.5 km of new lines in the Galgalia–Bhadrapur–Kajali Bazar section, according to a source.

In West Bengal, 170 km of new railway lines will be constructed in the Kumedpur–Ambari Falakata segment to improve connectivity in the Chicken Neck region. In Bihar's Purnea district, around Forbesganj, 18 km of new tracks will be laid to enhance connectivity to Bangladesh's Lakshamipur. Additionally, 25 km of new lines will be built to improve connectivity between Bengal and Bihar through the Chicken Neck region.

"These projects will speed up trade connectivity and enhance passenger services in the region," said a Railway official.​

 

[Saif]

Govt creating issues to divert attention from anti-state treaty: BNP

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Wednesday said that the government was creating various issues to divert people’s attention form the anti-state agreement with other countries...

www.newagebd.net

Govt creating issues to divert attention from anti-state treaty: BNP
Staff Correspondent 11 July, 2024, 00:22

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Wednesday said that the government was creating various issues to divert people's attention form the anti-state agreement with other countries.

'The rail corridor agreement with India is a threat to Bangladesh's sovereignty as the government of India will carry military equipment by train and the country will use Bangladesh to deal with its eastern states,' BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said while addressing a prayer session for recovery of its ailing chairperson Khaleda Zia in the capital's Rampura.

Rizvi ridiculed the Awami League-led government as an issue lover.

He said that this government brought out one issue after another, all of which it did to divert attention from the anti-national agreement.

Addressing prime minister Sheikh Hasina, he asked whether or not she was already aware of the corruption by the National Board of Revenue officials before the corruption of its officials Matiur and Faisal was revealed and also about the question papers leak.

'So what do your detectives do? Are they solely busy in making the opposition leaders and activists disappear?' he said.

Criticising the government, he said that whenever the citizens of the country were tortured and killed at the border this government did not protest.

'The government is providing a rail corridor through Bangladesh for India's benefit. India will use the land of Bangladesh to deal with the political crisis there. In other words, they are trying to cast Bangladesh into the perpetual international conspiracy and game,' he alleged.

He also said that the government was plotting to kill former three-time prime minister Khaleda Zia. Khaleda Zia never compromised with any dictator in politics, Rizvi said.​

 

[Bilal9]

Indian Railways pushes North-East connectivity via Bangladesh and Nepal

Indian Railways aims to connect the North East with the rest of the country through Bangladesh and Nepal, reducing travel time to the region, according to government sources. These routes will bypass the 'Chicken Neck' region in the Siliguri area of West Bengal.

www.tbsnews.net

Indian Railways pushes North-East connectivity via Bangladesh and Nepal
View attachment 6708
Railway in India. Photo: Collected

Indian Railways aims to connect the North East with the rest of the country through Bangladesh and Nepal, reducing travel time to the region, according to government sources.

These routes will bypass the 'Chicken Neck' region in the Siliguri area of West Bengal. The Railway Board has sanctioned a Final Location Survey (FLS) for approximately 1275.50 km, reports The Hindu BusinessLine.

"FLS for 14 new railway connectivity routes connecting Bangladesh, Nepal, and alternate routes towards the North-East have been sanctioned," an official in the Railway Ministry stated.

The survey includes around 500 km of new railway lines connecting Bangladesh and about 367 km of gauge conversion. In Nepal, over 200 km of new lines will be laid, while in the North East, another 212 km of lines will be constructed.

Segment-wise break-up

Nearly 250 km of new lines will be constructed along the West Bengal–Bangladesh–Meghalaya route, covering the Balurghat–Hili–Gaibandha–Mahendraganj–Tura–Mendipathar segment. Additionally, two sections of the West Bengal–Bangladesh route will see the construction of 80 km and 60 km of new railway lines, respectively.

In another segment connecting West Bengal to Assam via Bamanhat in Bangladesh, 38 km of new railway lines will be laid. For the Balurghat–Hili–Parbatipur–Kaunia–Lalmanirhat–Mogalhat–Gitaldaha section, an existing India–Bangladesh trade route, 18 km of new lines will be constructed.

The proposed Belonia–Feni–Chottogram trade route will feature 38 km of new railway lines.

Gauge conversion will take place in all these sections. Other significant segments include two West Bengal–Bangladesh–Tripura routes: the Gede–Darsana–Akhaura–Agartala route will require 100 km of gauge conversion, and the Petrapole–Benapole–Nabharon–Jessore–Rupdia–Padmabila–Lohagara–Kashiani–Shibchar–Mawa–Nimtala–Gendaria–Dhaka–Tongi–Bhairab Bazar–Akhaura–Agartala route will require 120 km of gauge conversion.

Other new routes

Improved connectivity between India and Nepal will include the construction of 190 km of new lines between Biratnagar and New Mal, along with 12.5 km of new lines in the Galgalia–Bhadrapur–Kajali Bazar section, according to a source.

In West Bengal, 170 km of new railway lines will be constructed in the Kumedpur–Ambari Falakata segment to improve connectivity in the Chicken Neck region. In Bihar's Purnea district, around Forbesganj, 18 km of new tracks will be laid to enhance connectivity to Bangladesh's Lakshamipur. Additionally, 25 km of new lines will be built to improve connectivity between Bengal and Bihar through the Chicken Neck region.

"These projects will speed up trade connectivity and enhance passenger services in the region," said a Railway official.​

All the Indian Govt. is after is to neuter Bangladesh completely. This new Indian railway through a foreign country (Bangladesh) is an attack on our sovereignty. Plain and simple.

I see no other example in the whole world where a country allows another country to build a railway through its sovereign territory in such a militarily sensitive area.

Total and utter BS which this woman DOES NOT understand the gravity of.

Would India allow us to build a railway to connect with the Chinese border near Sikkim??

When will this woman "Buy a backbone" and learn to play hardball like Modi does??

Just because she sold off her own political existence to India does not give her the right to sell us off as a country to India.

I think this is why the Chinese told Hasina to cut her visit short. Tell the Indians off or else - "come to Jesus moment". And right they are.

 

[Saif]

All the Indian Govt. is after is to neuter Bangladesh completely. This new Indian railway through a foreign country (Bangladesh) is an attack on our sovereignty. Plain and simple.

I see no other example in the whole world where a country allows another country to build a railway through its sovereign territory in such a militarily sensitive area.

Total and utter BS which this woman DOES NOT understand the gravity of.

Would India allow us to build a railway to connect with the Chinese border near Sikkim??

When will this woman "Buy a backbone" and learn to play hardball like Modi does??

Just because she sold off her own political existence to India does not give her the right to sell us off as a country to India.

View attachment 6878

View attachment 6879

I think this is why the Chinese told Hasina to cut her visit short. Tell the Indians off or else - "come to Jesus moment". And right they are.

Your observation regarding Indian geo-political game with Bangladesh about Chicken's Neck is correct. I think Sheikh Hasina should take a short course on Geo-politics from you

 

[Bilal9]

Your observation regarding Indian geo-political game with Bangladesh about Chicken's Neck is correct. I think Sheikh Hasina should take a short course on Geo-politics from you

You are too kind bhai. Look at what Khaleda Zia stated.

 

[Saif]

You are too kind bhai. Look at what Khaleda Zia stated.

She is smarter than I thought. She could clearly distinguish between Transit and Corridor. More power to her.

 

[Saif]

বাংলাদেশের ভেতর দিয়ে চলবে ভারতের রেল - সমস্যাগুলো হবে যেখানে

 

[Saif]

New Rail Lines for North-East via Bangladesh to by pass 'Chicken's Neck'

New rail lines for Northeast via Bangladesh to bypass 'Chicken's Neck' | Kolkata News - Times of India

India plans to develop an alternative railway network through Bangladesh, leveraging the India-Bangladesh Trade Agreement of 1980. The initiative aims

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

 

[Saif]

Proposed India-Bangladesh rail link sparks mix of optimism and backlash

South Asian neighbors signed an agreement for a first-of-its-kind railway link during Prime Minister Hasina’s visit to New Delhi in late June - Anadolu Ajansı

www.aa.com.tr

Proposed India-Bangladesh rail link sparks mix of optimism and backlash
South Asian neighbors signed an agreement for a first-of-its-kind railway link during Prime Minister Hasina's visit to New Delhi in late June
Faisal Mahmud |
02.07.2024 - Update : 03.07.2024

FILE PHOTO
​

• South Asian neighbors signed an agreement for a first-of-its-kind railway link during Prime Minister Hasina's visit to New Delhi in late June​
• The plan has kicked off a firestorm of criticism, with Bangladeshi opposition parties going as far as labelling it 'anti-state,' charges the government denies​
• Bangladeshi analysts say Dhaka has a lot to gain from the agreement but suggest more discussions for better 'benefit-sharing'​

One of the significant agreements inked during Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's recent visit to India was about a first-of-its-kind railway link between the South Asian neighbors.

Both governments hailed the landmark project, which will connect India's northeastern parts to Bangladesh, as a major step in enhancing regional connectivity.

However, the plan has kicked off a firestorm of criticism in Bangladesh, with opposition parties going as far as labelling it "anti-state."

Hasina's government has dismissed the claims, asserting that the rail link will boost economic development.

For India, the link through Bangladesh offers an alternative route to the Siliguri Corridor – a narrow passage also known as Chicken's Neck, which the two sides utilize as part of a 1980 trade agreement.

Bangladesh, in turn, would gain facilitated access for its products to reach Nepal and Bhutan through the network, which would also have a goods train service.

Discussions about the railway link were happening for quite some time.

Right before Hasina's late-June visit to New Delhi, Indian Railways revealed to local news outlet The Telegraph its plans for a new 1,275-kilometer (792-mile) rail track – 861 kilometers (535 miles) across Bangladesh, Nepal (202 kilometers or 125 miles), and northeast India (212 kilometers or 131 miles).

Indian officials confirmed that the operational network will cover these distances, allowing India to transport goods and passengers to its northeastern states, while enabling Bangladesh to transport goods and passengers to Nepal via Indian territory.

Why the uproar?

Concerns raised by opposition parties in Bangladesh center on allowing Indian Railways to operate within the country, which they contend could compromise national security.

They also criticize the current arrangement for lacking adequate transit and transshipment fees, arguing that India is the primary beneficiary.

Speaking to Anadolu, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, senior joint secretary general of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), claimed the railway would "weaken the country's security and intelligence system."

"It's their train and their goods. They will obviously deploy their own security to protect those," said Rizvi.

"That basically means you are allowing Indian security personnel to enter Bangladesh on a regular basis."

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, secretary general of BNP, said at a press conference on June 26 that the railway deal is not only "bad" but also "dangerous" for Bangladesh.

"What does Bangladesh gain by allowing a corridor through its territory, instead of India utilizing the Chicken's Neck?" he said.

"The entire benefit seems to be India's."

Located in a strategic nook in northeastern India, the Chicken's Neck is the narrowest point of the subcontinent, nestled between Nepal to the north and Bangladesh to the south, and just about 170 kilometers (105 miles) from the border with China.

This link through Bangladesh will help India avoid hundreds of kilometers of extra distance to connect with its seven northeastern states through the Chicken's Neck, said Alamgir.

"What will Bangladesh get in return? Transit and transshipment fees? How much are those? The government never clarifies those," he added.

The proposed railway deal comes in the backdrop of an "anti-India" campaign ongoing in Bangladesh since its general elections in January.

The campaign was fueled by claims that Hasina's victory was made possible by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's support, with New Delhi helping ease considerable pressure from the West, particularly the US, for Dhaka to hold free, fair and inclusive elections.

What has the government said?

Hasina has asserted that her government would never do something to harm the country's interests.

Asked about the potential security threat at a press conference after her return from New Delhi, she said: "Should Bangladesh keep its doors closed? Look at Europe, where there are no borders."

Hasina said Bangladesh is an independent and sovereign nation, adding that she has "opened all communication channels, and the people will reap the benefits from it."

Aaqib Md. Shatil, a Cambridge-based sustainable development expert, believes that "Bangladesh has a lot to gain" from the railway deal.

India has committed to extend transit facilities for Bangladeshi goods to Nepal and Bhutan, countries where Bangladesh exported goods worth more than $50 million from July 2023 to April 2024, he explained.

"Bangladesh has a market to capture in both countries. If we cooperate with each other, this connectivity will help Bangladeshi businesses export more goods in the coming years," he told Anadolu.

"Moreover, the most significant part, in my view, is the Indian commitment to Bangladesh regarding energy connectivity with Nepal and Bhutan," said Shatil.

Nepal alone has hydroelectric potential of 72,000 megawatts, while the highest amount of electricity Bangladesh has ever generated is 16,477 megawatts, he said.

"Bangladesh's reliance on imported fossil fuels is growing. If Bangladesh can leverage this energy connectivity, there is huge potential for Bangladesh to import cheaper hydroelectricity from Nepal and curb its dependence on fossil fuel imports," said Shatil.

For Mustafizur Rahman, an economist at the Bangladeshi think tank Center for Policy Dialogue, there is no doubt that India stands to gain considerably more from the rail deal.

India will be able to significantly cut transport costs to its northeastern states, he said.

To alleviate concerns and balance things out, Rahman suggested the two sides should discuss a "benefit-sharing arrangement" and find ways to ensure that Dhaka gets as much out of the agreement as New Delhi.​