New Delhi [India], September 29 (ANI): Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday underscored the significance of the India-Bhutan rail connectivity project, describing it as vital to Bhutan’s economic growth and global integration.
“This project is basically connecting two very important cities of Bhutan. One is Gelephu, which is being developed as a mindfulness city. And secondly, Samtse, which is an industrial city,” Vaishnaw said.
Explaining the project framework, he stated, “The two projects will take off from the network of Indian Railways at Kokrajhar and Banarhat. The investment envisaged at this point in time is about ₹4,033 crore, and the total length is about 90 kilometres — to be precise, 89 kilometres of railway network will be created.”
Highlighting trade linkages, Vaishnaw noted that India is Bhutan’s largest trading partner. “Most of Bhutan’s exempt trade is conducted through Indian ports. Therefore, it becomes very important to have seamless rail connectivity for the Bhutanese economy to grow and for the people to have better access to the global network. That’s why this entire project has been undertaken,” he said.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who also addressed the briefing, emphasized the bilateral importance of the new links. “…These links that are being worked on will be critical for enhancing cargo and passenger movement. So it is in the context of this very special relationship that the two governments have agreed to establish two cross-border rail links between Banarhat and Samtse, and Kokrajhar and Gelephu. This will be the first set of rail connectivity projects with Bhutan,” he said.
Misri recalled the agreements that paved the way for the projects. “The memorandum of understanding for this connectivity was actually signed during the visit of the Prime Minister to Bhutan last year. And this MoU will be formally signed later today in New Delhi on the occasion of the visit of the Bhutanese Foreign Secretary,” he added.
The joint press conference announcing the projects was addressed by Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in New Delhi. (ANI)
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