India wants road, rail, river routes through Bangladesh
India wants Bangladesh to open up its road and river routes to facilitate better link between Kolkata, Myanmar and the Northeast.
By PTI |
KOLKATA: India wants Bangladesh to open up its road and river routes to facilitate better link between Kolkata, Myanmar and the Northeast.
Inaugurating a conference of the SAARC-backed South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA), External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said India would build a 60-km road link with Myanmar and develop a port in that country.
"There is an old road linking India and Myanmar through Chittagong (in Bangladesh). Why can't it be restored? What is stopping us? There was also a river route between Kolkata and Guwahati via Bangladesh. Why can't it be restored?" Mukherjee asked.
Saying that the psychological barrier between India and Bangladesh had been broken in the recent past, Mukherjee stressed on more people-to-people contact to take the bilateral relations forward.
When a Bangladeshi journalist pointed out that 'Maitree Express' was not finding passengers owing to the abnormal delay in customs and immigration clearance, he said such problems would be sorted out soon.
"We are also looking at possibilities of extending the train to Agartala". Asked why the promised five lakh tonnes of rice from India as relief for 'Sidr' had not reached the country, Mukherjee said that one lakh tonne had already been sent through Kolkata and Vizag ports.
On the maritime boundary dispute with Bangladesh, Mukherjee said that another round of meeting was to be held shortly and expressed hope that a solution would be arrived at in that meeting.
Inaugurating a conference of the SAARC-backed South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA), External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said India would build a 60-km road link with Myanmar and develop a port in that country.
"There is an old road linking India and Myanmar through Chittagong (in Bangladesh). Why can't it be restored? What is stopping us? There was also a river route between Kolkata and Guwahati via Bangladesh. Why can't it be restored?" Mukherjee asked.
Saying that the psychological barrier between India and Bangladesh had been broken in the recent past, Mukherjee stressed on more people-to-people contact to take the bilateral relations forward.
When a Bangladeshi journalist pointed out that 'Maitree Express' was not finding passengers owing to the abnormal delay in customs and immigration clearance, he said such problems would be sorted out soon.
"We are also looking at possibilities of extending the train to Agartala". Asked why the promised five lakh tonnes of rice from India as relief for 'Sidr' had not reached the country, Mukherjee said that one lakh tonne had already been sent through Kolkata and Vizag ports.
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On the maritime boundary dispute with Bangladesh, Mukherjee said that another round of meeting was to be held shortly and expressed hope that a solution would be arrived at in that meeting.
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