Land acquisition for Bangladesh rail link to start

July 11, 2016 Hot from the Oven Valli Sarvani No comments

Officials have stated that the rail link plan between Agartala and Akhaura in Bangladesh will start soon. The land acquisition is all set to go as funds have been released by DoNER ministry.

For the purpose of acquiring land in the Agartala- Akhaura rail project, Rs 97 crore were earmarked by the Indian side. West Tripura District Magistrate, Milind Ramteke, said that the decided money has been given to the state government and soon the land acquisition of five-kilometer area up to the border on Indian side will start.

He added that the whole process would take about three months because the government needs to the land owners.

The project would involve laying 15.054-km-long railway tracks to connect Agartala with Akhaura in Bangladesh. The government expects this project will be over by 2017. In this entire track, only a stretch of five kilometers would be on the Indian side. The rest of the track would be in Bangladesh.

Furthermore, the project will also involve construction of a flyover which is 3.7 km long on the Indian side. This is to save cultivable lands. Ramteke added that the entire project cost would be borne by the government.

Rs. 580 crore was sanctioned for the project by DoNER. Indian government is very interested in establishing the rail link that would connect West Bengal and Tripura through Bangladesh.

Both Indian Railways and the Bangladesh Railways would be connected with this Agartala-Akhaura railway route. This increased connectivity is aimed at improving the connectivity between the two countries and increase trade also.

Officials also said that this new route would reduce the distance of 1,700 km between Agartala and Kolkata. The route passes the ‘chicken’s neck’ in Siliguri. By moving through Bangladesh, the route would be reduced by 350 km.

The entire project cost involving track laying on both Indian side and Bangladeshi side would be borne by India.

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