In a key step to boost connectivity and trade, India and Bhutan on Monday agreed to establish first-ever rail link projects between the two countries, connecting Kokrajhar (Assam) to Gelephu (Bhutan) and Banarhat (West Bengal) to Samtse (Bhutan) at a total investment of over Rs 4,000 crore.
Addressing a special media briefing on new railway projects between India and Bhutan, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri spoke about the details of the two cross-border rail links.
Vaishnaw said the Banarhat – Samtse (Bhutan) New Rail Line is a very important project because it connects the industrial city of Samtse.
“Under Kokrajhar-Gelephu (Bhutan) New Rail Line, construction of about 70 km will add to the 1,50,000 km of Railway network,” the Railway Minister said.
The Kokrajhar-Gelephu new line (69 km), to be established at an investment of Rs 3,456 crore, will connect Assam’s Kokrajhar and Chirang districts with Bhutan’s Sarpang region.
According to officials, the project will not only facilitate the movement of people and goods but also create better economic and employment opportunities.
The second project, the Banarhat-Samtse new line (20 km), will link West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district with Bhutan’s Samtse. With an investment of Rs 577 crore, the line is expected to boost cross-border trade and connectivity. The Samtse region is being developed as an industrial hub by the Government of Bhutan.
Vaishnaw said these projects are basically connecting two very important cities of Bhutan. “One is Gelephu, which is being developed as a mindfulness city. And secondly, Samtse, which is an industrial city,” Vaishnaw said, adding the two projects will take off from the network of Indian Railways at Kokrajhar and Banarhat.
“The investment which is envisaged at this point in time is about Rs 4033 crore, and the total length is about 90 kilometres to be precise. 89 kilometres of railway network will be created,” he said.
Highlighting trade linkages, Vaishnaw added, “India is the largest trading partner of Bhutan and most of the exempt trade of Bhutan is done through Indian ports. Therefore, it becomes very important to have good seamless rail connectivity for the Bhutanese economy to grow and for the people to have better access to the global network. That’s why this entire project has been undertaken.”
Foreign Secretary Misri, while addressing the media briefing, underlined the bilateral significance of the new rail links.
“These links that are being worked on will be critical for enhancing cargo and passenger movement. So it is in the context of this very special relationship that the two governments have agreed to establish two cross-border rail links between Banarhat and Samtse and Kokrajhar and Gelephu. This will be the first set of rail connectivity projects with Bhutan,” Misri said.
The Foreign Secretary recalled the agreements that paved the way for the projects.
“The memorandum of understanding for this connectivity was actually signed during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bhutan…the one that took place last year. And this MoU will be formally signed later today in New Delhi on the occasion of the visit of the Bhutanese Foreign Secretary to New Delhi,” he said.
The Foreign Secretary pointed out that both Bhutan’s King and its Prime Minister have been engaging closely with India. “His Majesty, the King of Bhutan and the Prime Minister of Bhutan have been visiting India regularly. His Majesty the King was here earlier to attend Mahakumbh, and the Prime Minister was here just a few weeks ago to attend the consecration of the Bhutanese temple in Rajgir,” Misri said.
On India’s role in Bhutan’s development, Misri underlined, “The Government of India has been Bhutan’s largest provider of developmental assistance and has played a vital role in its modernisation, especially in the areas of infrastructure and the overall economic development of the country.”
“For the 13th Five-Year Plan of Bhutan, which runs from 2024 to 2029, the Government of India has committed support of Rs 10,000 crore, which covers project-wide assistance, high-impact community development projects, the economic stimulus program and a program grant. And this quantum constitutes a 100 per cent increase over the 12th five-year plan figures,” he said.