Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh’s leader, Sheikh Hasina, together opened three projects supported by India through a video call on Wednesday.
In his speech at the start of the event, PM Modi said it was a happy moment that both countries are coming together to celebrate the achievements of India-Bangladesh teamwork.
“It is a matter of joy that once again we have connected to celebrate the success of India-Bangladesh cooperation. Our relations are reaching new heights continuously. The work we have done together in the last 9 years was not done even in the decades before this. Three things we worked on together are the Akhaura-Agartala train track, the Khulna-Mongla Port train line, and the second part of the Maitree Power Plant in Rampal, Bangladesh.”, PM Modi stated.
“The joint inauguration of these important projects manifests the firm friendship and collaboration between our two friendly countries. I would like to thank PM Modi for the warm hospitality during my visit in September 2023 to attend the G20 Summit,” Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stated.
The Akhaura-Agartala Cross-Border Rail Link project was made possible with the help of ₹392.52 crore from the Indian government given to Bangladesh. This rail link is about 12.24 km long, with 6.78 km of it in Bangladesh and 5.46 km in Tripura, as reported by ANI.
The Khulna-Mongla Port Rail Line Project cost a total of USD 388.92 million, and the Indian government helped by offering a special loan for it. This project is all about constructing a 65 km wide railway that connects Khulna’s existing railway system to the Mongla Port.
This means that Mongla, the second largest port in Bangladesh, is now connected to the wider railway system. The Maitree Super Thermal Power Project, funded with a special loan of 1.6 billion US dollars from India, is a big power plant in Rampal, in the Khulna Division of Bangladesh.
It’s a joint effort between India’s NTPC Ltd and Bangladesh Power Development Board, working together as the Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Limited. These projects will make the region’s transportation and energy supply stronger.
