India to boost connectivity with Bangladesh & Nepal with new rail links, says foreign secy

[Black_cats]

India to boost connectivity with Bangladesh & Nepal with new rail links, says foreign secy​

Harsh Vardhan Shringla said Wednesday that the neighbourhood is a priority for India, and it works closely with all neighbours, ‘except Pakistan’.

NAYANIMA BASU9 March, 2022

File photo of Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla addressing a press conference in New Delhi | ANI

New Delhi: Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said Wednesday that India will soon set up several rail linkages with Nepal and Bangladesh, in a major boost to New Delhi’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.

Addressing the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, the foreign secretary said, “Globalisation begins with our neighbourhood”.

Shringla emphasised that the neighbourhood has “first and foremost priority” in India’s foreign policy, adding that India works closely with all neighbours, except Pakistan.

“Greater economic integration within regions is known to produce a whole that exceeds the sum of parts. Our policies in the region therefore lay the greatest emphasis on augmenting connectivity —physical, economic, energy and digital,” he said, introducing the first ever training module on India’s neighbourhood at the academy.

“We believe that this will, among other things, induce a virtuous cycle in which connectivity and growth feed each other.”

Elaborating on how connectivity with the neighbourhhood has shown “striking results”, Shringla said: “The first is connectivity. Connectivity within parts of our neighbourhood by road, water, rail and air, and often by multi-modal transport, has steadily improved.”

“Railways between countries are causing a rapid shrinking of South Asia’s geography. India and Bangladesh will soon be connected through six rail links, and India and Nepal by two rail links,” he added.

In terms of connectivity with Bangladesh, the foreign secretary said that goods can now reach Tripura using multi-modal networks through Chittagong and inland water routes.

“Recently an inland waterways vessel carrying food grains sailed from Patna and reached Pandu in Assam. The vessel travelled from India’s National Waterway-1 to National Waterway-2, through the waterways of Bangladesh,” Shringla added.

India to boost connectivity with Bangladesh & Nepal with new rail links, says foreign secy

Harsh Vardhan Shringla said Wednesday that the neighbourhood is a priority for India, and it works closely with all neighbours, ‘except Pakistan’.

theprint.in

 

[bluesky]

In terms of connectivity with Bangladesh, the foreign secretary said that goods can now reach Tripura using multi-modal networks through Chittagong and inland water routes.

Whatever the title of News say, the paragraph above is the gist. India may need rail connection with its NE and Tripura, but not really with Bangladesh. BD remains only a convenient land to connect the two Indian segments.

BD needs connection with Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan via Indian land for its overland railway connection/ transportation. So, where are these elements in the news?

BD should be more demanding.