In what will be a significant milestone for bilateral relations with Bangladesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangla counterpart Sheikh Hasina will jointly inaugurate three major development projects via video conferencing on Wednesday, November 1, around 11 AM.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the three projects, aimed at enhancing connectivity and energy security in the region, are the Akhaura - Agartala Cross-Border Rail Link, the Khulna - Mongla Port Rail Line, and Unit – II of the Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant.
The Akhaura - Agartala Cross-Border Rail Link, spanning a total length of 12.24 km, has been executed with an Indian grant of Rs 392.52 crore to Bangladesh. This project features a 6.78 km dual gauge rail line in Bangladesh and 5.46 km in Tripura.
The Khulna - Mongla Port Rail Line, with a total project cost of USD 388.92 million under a Government of India concessional Line of Credit, involves the construction of approximately 65 km of broad gauge rail route. This initiative connects Mongla, Bangladesh's second-largest port, to the broad-gauge railway network in Khulna.
In April this year, Bangladesh granted India access to the Mongla and Chattogram ports for cargo transit to the Northeast. The Bangladesh government issued a "permanent transit order" based on the 2018 coastal shipping agreement. This allows shipment of goods via the two ports to India's Assam, Tripura, and Meghalaya.
The Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant, located in Rampal in the Khulna division of Bangladesh, is a 1,320 MW (2x660) Super Thermal Power Plant financed under the Indian Concessional Financing Scheme with a loan of $1.6 billion. The project is a joint venture between India's NTPC Ltd and Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) under the Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company (Private) Limited (BIFPCL). While Unit I was inaugurated in September 2022, Unit II will be officially unveiled on November 1, 2023, contributing to enhanced energy security in Bangladesh.
These joint projects mark a crucial step towards strengthening ties between India and Bangladesh, fostering economic development, and promoting regional cooperation in South Asia.