‘India-Bangladesh relations are reaching new heights’, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina jointly inaugurated three Indian-assisted development projects via video conferencing on Wednesday.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, PM Modi said it is a matter of joy that the two nations once again have connected to celebrate the success of India-Bangladesh cooperation. 

“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,” PM Modi said. 

The three projects are the Akhaura- Agartala Cross-Border Rail Link, Khulna - Mongla Port Rail Line, and Unit - II of the Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant in Rampal, Bangladesh.

"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," the Bangladesh Prime Minister said. 

The Akhaura-Agartala Cross-Border Rail Link project has been executed under a Government of India grant assistance of ₹392.52 crore extended to Bangladesh. The length of the rail link is 12.24 km with a 6.78 km Dual Gauge rail line in Bangladesh and 5.46 km in Tripura, ANI reported. 

With a total project cost of USD 388.92 million, the Khulna-Mongla Port Rail Line Project was carried out under the concessional line of credit provided by the Indian government. As part of the project, a 65 km broad gauge rail route will be built between Khulna's current rail network and Mongla Port.

With this, Mongla, the second largest port of Bangladesh, gets connected with the broad-gauge railway network. The Maitree Super Thermal Power Project, under an Indian Concessional Financing Scheme loan of 1.6 billion US dollars, is a 1320 MW Super Thermal Power Plant located in Rampal in the Khulna Division of Bangladesh. 

The project has been implemented by the Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Limited which is a 50:50 Joint Venture company between India's NTPC Ltd and Bangladesh Power Development Board. These projects will strengthen connectivity and energy security in the region.

(With ANI inputs)