India, Bhutan To Link Via Rail For The First Time With Total Outlay Of Rs 4,033 Crore

The Indian government on Monday announced its joint plan with Bhutan to connect the two countries via a new railway project with a total outlay of Rs 4,033 crore. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishaw along with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced that the rail project will connect Assam's Kokrajhar with Bhutan's Gelephu and West Bengal's Banarhat to Samtse town in the neighbouring country.

Vaishnaw said the projects will take off from the network of Indian Railways. The railway minister said an 89-km railway network will be created under the initiative, this includes 70 kms of new tracks.

The Kokrajhar–Gelephu line will connect to Bongaigaon in Assam, which is a major industrial hub in India. While Kokrajar will link the project to the entire Indian railway network.

"India and Bhutan share a relationship of exceptional trust, mutual respect and understanding," Misri said. The agreement for setting up of the rail links was signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bhutan last year.

"The government of India has been Bhutan's largest provider of development assistance and has played a vital role in its modernisation, especially in the areas of infrastructure and the overall economic development of the country," Misri said while talking about India's role in Bhutan's development.

India and Bhutan in August had signed a pact to strengthen co-operation in the field of agriculture and allied sectors. The signing of an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) reflects the two countries' shared commitment to food security, sustainable farming and rural prosperity.