Railroading ties

By railroad,Kolkata to Agartala is a little more than Kolkata to Chennai. A rail corridor through Bangladesh,even via Dhaka,will see the Kolkata-Agartala distance shrink to approximately 550 km from the current 1700 km. That,in brief,is the significance of Bangladeshs geopolitical location,and of the hazard of Indias chickens neck Siliguri Corridor that links the Northeast to the mainland. Little wonder then that India has long sought rail transit rights through its eastern neighbours territory. With Indias rail access terminating at Dhaka at present,the government is set to push for the construction of a 14 km stretch between Agartala and Akhaura in Bangladesh along with the additional offer of building the metre gauge line itself that will connect Agartala with Dhaka through Akhaura. If Bangladesh has been hesitant about the stretch anticipating Indias demand for transit rights,now is the time to not only reassure Dhaka but also give it transit rights for Bangladeshi goods to Nepal and Bhutan through Indian territory.

Sheikh Hasinas visit is an opportunity to overhaul the misdirected,underestimated and underutilised relationship between New Delhi and Dhaka on grounds of equality and mutual interest. The bilateral relationship has its best chance now to break free of the ebb and flow that has been its bane,based on enlightened self-interest and not mere sentiment. And Bangladesh,for once,has put the ball in Indias court with its stand on trade and connectivity,cross-border power trading,and cracking down on terrorists. Taking the cue,New Delhi should not only liberalise duty-free import of Bangladeshi goods forgetting the meagre revenue loss and savouring the goodwill generated but also look ahead and work towards integrating the two economies. Economic integration would automatically change the matrix to address security concerns once more in mutual interest.

Kolkata and Agartala coming closer by railroad should be placed within this larger context. What we have here is the prospect of the Northeast using Chittagong as a port and optimal utilisation of the Bay of Bengal for Indias maritime trade. Besides,Dhaka could position itself as a civil aviation hub. The two neighbours,till date,have failed to secure the potential benefits of their ties since cooperation has been directly proportional to politics. A reformist Dhaka has realised the need for Indian help in development. The key is to extend that help without condescension and apparent preferences in Bangladeshi politics. Its time Bangladeshs strategic location catapulted sustainable growth for the eastern reaches of the subcontinent.