Dhaka, Delhi officials sit today

Top officials of Bangladesh and India will sit today in Dhaka to work out a comprehensive plan to expeditiously implement the Akhaura-Agartala rail link, which will facilitate New Delhi to connect with its seven north-eastern states, as well as boost economic development between the two countries.

The high-level meeting will also review the progress regarding restoration of the erstwhile railway linkage projects, which Dhaka and New Delhi consider will open up a new of travel, investment and business opportunities and greatly enhance people-to-people contact in the region.

Officials said the two countries are also set to reopen the defunct transborder rail routes connecting Bangladesh with India, Nepal and Bhutan.

The Indian delegation arrived in Dhaka yesterday to join the meeting.

Diplomatic sources said the meeting will undertake a complete review of railway cooperation between the two countries and ways and means to improve connectivity and services.

Rail communication between India and Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) on all seven routes, including the Akhaura-Agartala, was suspended after the 1965 Indo-Pak war. The two countries have so far restored three of the seven routes.

Dhaka and New Delhi took up a project of 15.054km long railway track at a cost of US $145 million to connect Akhaura and Agartala about seven years ago to provide a major boost to development and economy of the land-locked north-eastern region of India and eastern Bangladesh.

The total project cost would be borne by the government of India. Of the total track, a stretch of 5-kilometre would be on the Indian side and the rest in Bangladesh, was due to be completed by 2017, but it was delayed due to delay in releasing of fund as well as complexity in land acquisition.

India's Ministry for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) has already released fund to the tune of Rs. 98 crore to expedite land acquisition process.

After establishment of the rail track, the travel time between Agartala and Kolkata, via Bangladesh, would be reduced by a third, from 1,613km through mountainous terrain to a mere 514km, said diplomatic sources.