By Ashis Biswas
GOI (Govt of India) authorities are speeding up ongoing work on major road/rail connectivity projects in the Northeast border areas, to boost regional trade, exports and economic development. Indian Railway and Highway authorities are working in tandem with the state Governments of Assam, Sikkim, Nagaland and Tripura, along with concerned authorities in Bangladesh, to achieve their goals.
In recent years, there have not been many reports about Nagaland or Sikkim reaping major benefits from the numerous connectivity projects currently under implementation. However, existing gaps in traffic system integration connectivity in both states are about to be addressed effectively, if things run according to plan.
The long awaited new railway link connecting Rangpo in South Sikkim with Siliguri in North Bengal, covering a distance of over 45 kilometres of widely varied terrain, may well turn out to be a major positive game changer for the region. . This strategically significant hook-up, the construction of which has been delayed repeatedly in recent years, would be ready sometime in 2024.
At the Rangpo end, only around 3 kilometres of tracks would be laid with the bulk of construction occurring in West Bengal. This would mark the end of the first phase of the project. GOI has plans to extend the line in the next phase from Rangpo to Gangtok. The long term target is to stretch Railway services close to the international border with China at Nathu La.
The cost of the work has risen from an initially estimated Rs 1350 crore to over Rs 12,000 crore on account of the delays and the resultant price escalation. Altogether 14 tunnels and 22 bridges are being built.
Railway authorities admit that the introduction heavy duty rail services into the seismically sensitive Himalayan hilly zone, over highly complex varied terrain, provided a complex challenge for traffic planners and engineers. This predominantly hilly area, full of wild life, includes dense forests, running mountain streams / springs, as well as deep forests. The delicate ecological balance is likely to be disrupted, as herds of wild elephants use the hills and forests for their seasonal movements.
Four stations would be built along the way, one of them underground. . Standard official narrative about the project naturally focuses on the new opportunities that would open up through the linkage between mainland India and Sikkim, not to mention the inevitable boost to tourism in the NE region. There should be a sizable increase in terms of the numbers and weightage for passengers and cargo moving in and out of Sikkim in the years ahead. A further advantage of rail travel is that the journey from Siliguri to Rangpo would take only one hour, where by road at present, it takes around three hours plus.
Defence authorities however, as already suggested ,do not conceal that the strengthening of India’s road/rail linkages between its mainland and the NE regions that are close to the Chinese frontier, is essential in maintaining the minimal security deterrent in the event of Indo-Chinese hostilities at some point of time. They insist on the extension of the Rangpo connection not only up to Gangtok but to continue it further north as far as possible. The reduced possibility of physical relocation of existing settlements in the northern peripheries of Sikkim because of the project, is an added advantage.
During the past 10/15 years, there has occurred major new construction of highways/ roads, bridges, warehouses and airstrips in the Northeast. Yet the present traffic network connecting the NE region with other parts of India is still way short of the kind of seamless traffic connectivity that Chinese authorities have strenuously achieved since the nineties between their border regions and the coastal plains. India would still be playing catch-up with China in such matters for years to come, officials admit, despite the impressive progress in connectivity made during the last 15 years or so.
This is not to suggest that proposals for raising regional trade and business volumes are not being examined. Among NE states, Nagaland has taken the lead in its efforts to extend and expand economic ties with Bangladesh. A team of Naga businessmen and entrepreneurs recently visited Bangladesh, on official invitation. Altogether 34 agreements were signed, according to reports appearing in a section of the Northeast media.
Experts in both countries estimate that there remains considerable scope, as yet unutilized, of Nagaland and Bangladesh entrepreneurs in investing several sectors of the economy — agricultural projects, agro processing, food /fruits processing, production of bamboo items, textile producing/development schemes and in greater initiatives utilising the advantages of the seasonal tourism. The advantage of such schemes/projects is that the initial investment need not be phenomenally big, nor would such initiatives involve long gestation periods.
Eve in the medium term, the economic growth among the people should be visible, as living standards would rise and there would also be a significant boost to local employment generation at every level.
GOI authorities are also keen to see trade and business flourish between Nagaland and Bangladesh. NE-based media reports say that the centre, playing an actively supporting role, would help build a new major four- lane carriageway and bridge across the Kushiyara river to ensure smooth road traffic movement between Bangladesh and the Barak valley in Assam.
Similarly, at neighbouring Karimganj, there is a proposal to build /improve the existing traffic facilities, to link local areas more easily with the nearest urban centres in Bangladeshi Sylhet province. The length of the new 90 metre linkage would be about 50% on each side of the international border.
No wonder NE region’s entrepreneurs/businessmen are upbeat about the possibility of increasing business volumes over the next few years. In recent years, steps have been taken by India and Bangladesh to improve/upgrade existing functional facilities in the 36 land ports near the border areas, to ease and facilitate the import/export trade.
From the Bangladesh side there is a suggestion for a direct flight linking Sylhet and Dimapur airports, for ensuring quicker connectivity for the movement of goods with a shorter shelf life. In case the idea is approved, Dimapur would join the list of NE airports that have become international over the years, after Guwahati and Agartala.
In their preliminary talks, business circles in both countries have reportedly explored the possibility of exporting readymade bamboo items and coffee from the NE to Bangladesh, which could in turn exports its varieties of garments, food and fruits-processed items, according to reports. (IPA Service)