Government sanctions Rs.580 crore for Agartala-Akhaura rail link Project

Union Government has sanctioned about 580 crore rupees for Agartala-Akhaura railway link Project to connect Kolkata (West Bengal) with Tripura via Bangladesh.
The sanctioned fund will be used for the laying of the five km railway track up to Bangladesh border from Agartala. It is

Agartala-Akhaura Railway Link Project

• It is 15 km long strategic railway route that would connect the Indian Railways with the Bangladesh Railways. The work on this project is expected to complete by 2017.
• Of the 15 km strategic railway track, 10 km falls in the Bangladesh side and the rest 5 km falls in India.
• It was initiated after Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India in January 2010 when both countries had agreed to lay the railway track.

Comment
This project will play important role in India’s ‘Act East’ Policy and is expected to improve connectivity and boost trade between the two countries. It will also reduce the current 1700 km road distance between Kolkata to Agartala via narrow Chicken Neck Siliguri corridor to just 350 km by railway.

Month: Current Affairs - February, 2016