During the Meet-The-Press (MTP) held on July 26, the minister for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade (MoFAET), D.N Dhungyel said that it might take almost five years to complete the 70 kilometer Gelephu-Kokrajhar and 16 kilometer Samtse-Banarhat railway lines.
The statement was made by Lyonpo DN Dhungyel with regard to the progress and current status of the India-Bhutan railway project, that is, the railway routes connecting Gelephu to Kokrajhar in Assam, and Samtse to Banarhat in West Bengal, India.
The minister said, “The discussion for railway line has been happening for over a year now, and research says that there isn’t much feasibility in establishing a rail way track in the country.”
However, the minister highlighted that the works to establish both the railway lines have started and that one should understand both the railway project is different from each other where it needs different studies to be conducted.
“As of the Samtse-Banarhat railway line, we haven’t yet found a feasible location. However, for Gelephu-Kokrajhar route, the location is finalized and discussions are underway with the government of India,” the minister said.
In addition, Lyonpo said that as of the Gelephu to Kokrajhar railway line, the government will soon start to work on feasibility study and surveying of location.
Similarly, as of the Samtse-Banarhat railway line, the minister said that they are still not able to finalize a proper location for the feasibility studies. Lyonpo said that the finalization of location and commencement of works would take atleast six months and another 5 years for the project to complete.
Meanwhile, on constructing the very first railway lines in the country, the railway links would provide much-needed alternate connectivity for a landlocked country like Bhutan to ensure backups, efficiency, consistency, and predictability for the imports and exports of commodities and other.
In addition, as a landlocked country, the only land transportation link between Bhutan and India for export and import is through road networks. This single dependency on roads creates a great deal of economic inefficiencies and as a result high transportation and logistical costs.
While the railway connectivity will be more efficient, faster, relatively cheaper, and can transport more freight than a road, especially for traveling longer distances and carry higher loads.
Meanwhile, taking bilateral relations to new heights, India and Bhutan in January 25, 2005, signed a landmark accord for establishing rail links between bordering towns and agreed to step up cooperation in agriculture and power sectors.
Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), inked in the presence of the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo, the two sides agreed to conduct feasibility studies for the extension of the Indian railway network from West Bengal and Assam to the nearest border towns of Bhutan.
The benefits of railway links will not just benefit the people of Bhutan but everyone living close to the vicinity. With connectivity becoming very vital in exporting and importing goods, Bhutanese exports like boulders to Bangladesh will become easier. Additionally, Gelephu is strategically located for the districts of Zhemgang, Tsirang, and others. As Gelephu has been recognized as one of the points of entry, the establishment of the rail link there becomes even more pertinent.
By Sherab Dorji, Thimphu
