Survey completed to start construction of railway link between Bhutan’s Gelephu and Assam’s Kokrajar: Report

Thimphu [Bhutan], April 13 (ANI): The survey has been completed to start the construction of a railway connection between Bhutan’s Gelephu and Kokrajar in India’s Assam, The Bhutan Live reported.

It will be the first-ever railway connection between India and Bhutan. The railway connection between the two nations is expected to be completed by 2026. The Indian government will fund the 57-kilometre railway.
Bhutan’s Foreign Minister Dr Tandi Dorji said, “We have formed a team that will talk to the Northeastern Frontier (NF) Railways in India and start the work,” The Bhutan Live reported. He said that the government will first work on this project and then look into connecting other regions like Samtse, Phuentsholing, Nganglam, and Samdrupjongkhar.

During his visit to Bhutan in 2008, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced the construction of the Nehru Golden Jubilee Railway link to mark the 50th anniversary of former PM Jawaharlal Nehru’s visit to Bhutan in 1958, as per the news report.

The 18-kilometre railway was supposed to connect Toribari in Bhutan’s Phuentsholing and Hashimara in West Bengal. Dr Tandi said the project could take off since the railway link had to be built through tea states. He added, “There was an objection from the government of West Bengal,” The Bhutan Live reported.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “a warm and productive meeting” with Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck with the two leaders covering the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation and issues of respective national interests. The meeting was held during Bhutan King’s visit to India.

“Pleased to receive His Majesty the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. We had a warm and productive meeting. Deeply value our close friendship and the vision of successive Druk Gyalpos in guiding India-Bhutan relations to new heights,” PM Modi tweeted.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting between PM Modi and the Bhutan King, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said, “In terms of specific outcomes, which we would be following up based on the discussions, it was agreed that India would step up its support to Bhutan’s upcoming 13th Five Year Plan. The specifics of the support, its distribution into different projects that is something which is to be worked out between the two systems going forward. At Bhutan’s request, India would work to extend an additional standby credit facility. This would be over and above the two existing standby credit facilities that is operating between the two countries.”

“We would work to shape long-term sustainable arrangements for export of agricultural commodities from Bhutan. Also work to develop long-term bilateral arrangements for assured supply of critical commodities to Bhutan, which would include petroleum, fertilizers, and coal,” he added.

Responding to a volley of questions on remarks of Bhutan’s Prime Minister which were perceived to be at variance with Thimpu’s earlier stance on the boundary issue vis-a-vis China, Kwatra said India and Bhutan remain in close touch, in close coordination relating to shared national interests, including security interest.

He said both countries maintain a longstanding tradition of very close consultations on matters relating to their mutual interest including security and “in this context the intertwined and indivisible nature of our security concerns is self-evident”.

The two countries agreed on a range of other initiatives including boosting connectivity with India and working towards expediting the proposed Kokrajhar-Gelephu rail link project, which will be the first rail link between the two countries.