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Uncertainty prevails on Indo-Bangla railway project and Agartala airport extension work
Jayanta K Das
Uncertainty prevails on Indo-Bangla railway project and Agartala airport extension work
PHOTO : TIWN Pic : Agartala Railway Station. TIWN Pic March 2

AGARTALA, March 2 (TIWN): Uncertainty prevails on the developmental work of the state Tripura with the long term dream of the Indo-Bangla railway project and Agartala airport extension work. At a time when the uncertainty prevails over the extension of the Agartala airport with the inordinate delay of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, a lack of enough fund likely to hit the India-Bangladesh railway project to connect the North East with Bangladesh. The India-Bangladesh railway project to connect the North East with Bangladesh will be further delayed as no funds were allocated for acquisition of land to extend the tracks in the Railway Budget, state Minister of transport recently said.Minister of Transport recently expressing his displeasure over the rail link project said that no funds were allocated for acquisition of land in the Rail Budget inspite of demanding for early completion of the 15-km long railway track to connect Agartala with Akhaura in Bangladesh. He said the initial project cost was Rs. 271 crore and in addition acquisition was pending for 100 acres of land on both sides, which would require Rs. 302 crore. Minister said, it was an important connectivity to boost economy of the region and create a passage for the people with the rest of the country.

India will build a 15km railway tracks linking Tripura's capital Agartala with Bangladesh's southeastern city of Akhaura, an important railway junction connected to Chittagong port, resource-rich Sylhet and Dhaka. 

Progress was made at a meeting held earlier in New Delhi attended by officials of the MEA, DONER, Ministry of Railways, project implementing agency IRCON and the Tripura government. It resolved to initiate the process of fund transfer in the first week of November. The MEA is to spend the entire money required for the ambitious 15-km (10 km on Indian side) rail link project that would immensely boost passenger and goods transportation to and from North-east India. India has earmarked Rs 252 crore for the project to comply with a bilateral agreement with Bangladesh signed in 2010.

Agartala is about 1,700 km from Kolkata if travelled through the Chicken's Neck, a narrow strip connecting the northeastern states to the rest of India, which would be reduced to 350 km if travelled through Bangladesh.

However on the other uncertainty prevails over the extension of the Agartala airport with the inordinate delay by Ministry of Civil Aviation. Earlier talking to TIWN Transport secretary Samarjit Bhowmik expressing his displeasure said that when the Tripura govt. has already winded up with every procedure for the extension of the Agartala airport, on the other hand the Ministry of Civil Aviation has been delaying on the commissioning of the project. Therefore it will take another 6 to 8 months for framing the report, said Bhowmik. Besides, the project has not been sanctioned yet, informed Mr. Bhowmik. Coming down heavily on the delay of the commissioning of the project work, said that the Ministry of Civil Aviation has been seeking for an additional land for the car parking and other facilities as part of the extension of the Agartala airport, while the state govt. has already given them 72 acres of land amongst which 10.6 acres of land for the construction of the Terminal building during the first phase and 62 acres of land for the construction of runway.

The Agartala airport would be the third international standard airport after the Guwahati and Imphal airports. Imphal's Tulihal airport was recently declared as an international airport after its modernisation. The Agartala airport modernisation project involves upgrading of the runway and aprons, construction of six aerobridges, three elevators and two escalators besides walkways to connect the international arrival and departure levels.

The airports are being made international as part of India's "Look East" policy to boost the northeast region's connectivity and trade with Southeast Asia. 

 
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