The Indo-Bangla Project Screening Committee (PSC) will hold a meeting in Bangladesh's Brahmanbaria next week to fast-track work of the Indo-Bangla railway link, said a senior official on Sunday. The vital project which will link the two nation's railwa network has been delayed for some time.
“An Indian delegation of around 11 officials from Delhi and Tripura will join the PSC meeting scheduled to be held in Rail Bhavan at Brahmanbaria in Bangladesh to review the 12.6 km railway project connecting two sides of the border, on Monday”, Tripura's transport secretary U.K Chakma told PTI.
Representatives of the two countries, including special secretary of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Prabhat Kumar and IRCON 's Chief Engineer, VK Gupta (Indian side) and Addl Secretary of Bangladesh Railways, Md Yasin and Joint Secretary of Bangladesh Railway Shahidul Islam will join the meeting.
From Agartala, Chakma and Raman Singla, a senior executive of IRCON based at Agartala will also be present in the meeting.
Admitting that there has been delay in executing the strategic railway project because of various reasons, Chakma said the Indian side will stress speedy completion of the project.
“This time, we will emphasize on completion of the 12.6 km railway project by June this year ... it was supposed to be completed around one year ago. So far, more than 80 percent work has been completed on the Indian side while 73 percent work has been done on the Bangladesh side”, he said.
Chakma, who had already held a review meeting with the IRCON officials to oversee the progress, hoped that the project work will gain pace after the PSC meeting. Recently, Union Minister of State for Social and Women Empowerment, Pratima Bhoumik met Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in Delhi and requested him to expedite the Indo-Bangla railway project. The Indo-Bangla railway to give a major connectivity fillip to the northeastern state with the rest of the country through Bangladesh.
