Staff Reporter :
At a ministry-level meeting here on Sunday, Bangladesh stressed for electricity while Nepal wanted rail link from Mongla port to Birganj of Nepal through India.
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed told media after the meeting at the Commerce Ministry that Bangladesh would build hydrocarbon power plant jointly with India in Nepal as it (India) situated in between the countries. Nepal’s Commerce Minister Romi Gauchan Tsakali led his country’s delegation at the meeting while Tofail Ahmed headed the Bangladesh team.
Sources said, Nepal wants to import goods by using Mongla port as it will help carry the goods to that country within a short time through rail transit. The country thinks it will be easy to carry essential goods through Bangladesh’s Rohanpur border of Chapainawabganj, Sindabad road of India and Birganj of Nepal. Nepal expects that this route would be active by 2018 and they urged Bangladesh to start Visa for Nepal’s citizens on land road from that time, the sources said.
Bangladesh emphasized to implement Khulna to Mongla railway line as early as possible, through which the country will be financially benefited, Tofail Ahmed said.
On the other hand, the Indian Railways is working to link northeastern states with the neighbouring countries of Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has already undertaken survey works for providing rail connectivity to countries such as Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, they said.
There is already a railway link between India and Bangladesh and for the Indian government, the priority is to establish an Indo-Bhutan rail link, for which studies were carried out in 2008 that include Kokrajhar-Gelephu, Rangiya-Samdrup Jongkhar, Banarhat-Samtse, and Pathsala-Nanglam.
Indian railways are also working with the Nepalese government on the feasibility of railway links and is said to have identified areas from where it will connect not only to northeastern states but also to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
The government is hopeful that the project will be implemented on time and will enhance trade within neighbouring countries.
