Rail link

Agartala, May 7: A high-level railway delegation from India and Bangladesh have agreed to expedite work on Tripura’s railway connectivity with the rest of India across Bangladesh.

State transport commissioner R.K. Sharma, who attended the meeting in Delhi from May 3 to 6, said the agenda was to review the progress made in setting up railway connectivity between Agartala and the Akhaura junction in Brahmanbaria district.

The Centre agreed to bear the entire cost of Rs 25 crore for the project.

The members of the Indian Railways Board represented the Indian delegation while the Bangladesh side was represented by their railway and transport officials led by Nazimul Haq, a top executive of Bangladesh Railway.

The meeting took note of the fact that the survey, which the Indian Railways authority were to carry out, had been completed and now Bangladesh Railway would prepare a detailed feasibility report said Sharma, adding that the Bangladesh Railway authority will also simultaneously conduct another survey.

According to the alignment of railway tracks finalised by both the countries, the train from Agartala to Akhaura junction will have a 14km route throughGanga-sagar in Bangladesh opposite to Belabor-Gazaria area in south-west Agartala.

The issue of connectivity had been finalised in the discussion between visiting Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in January last year which was accepted by the Bangladesh government.

Sharma said that the just-concluded meeting in Delhi had taken up two others issues, inordinate delay faced by the passengers on Calcutta-Dhaka Maitri express at transit points and the trouble faced by passengers in booking tickets. “The delegations agreed to opening more ticket counters in Calcutta and Dhaka as well to decentralise work in transit points to provide relief to the passengers” said Sharma.