By Ashis Biswas
In these Corona pandemic- plagued hard times, news that fast-paced railway travel between Kolkata and Dhaka megacities — the two biggest growing urban conglomerations in South Asia — may be reduced to four/five hours from 10/11 hours as of now, comes as a pleasant surprise. If ongoing construction work on major infra projects in Bangladesh runs on schedule, this remark able upgrading in bilateral traffic movement would be possible by March 2024, estimate Dhaka-based experts.
They predicate such a dramatic turnaround in bi-lateral travelling/traffic movements on the timely completion of the laying of railway lines on the massive Padma bridge now nearing completion. The new railway link between Dhaka and Kolkata, currently being built, will run along the Sealdah-Bongaon-Jessore-Faridpur-Dhakaroute, a distance of around 240 kilometres. At present the Maitree Express runs from Kolkata-to Nadia (Gede) to Darshana to Dhaka route, which is almost 405 kilometres and takes 10/11 hours to cover. What is more, Bangladesh authorities plan to link Agartala town in Tripura with Dhaka, continuing the journey on the same route from Kolkata. That would enable passengers to reach Tripura from Kolkata within 8/9 hours in the near future.
There have been extensive reports in the Bangladeshi media regarding the major economic changes that are expected to follow the formal commissioning of the new bridge, the biggest of its kind in the region. Chinese media have also followed/monitored the progress of construction of this huge 10-kilometres long (approach roads included) 26-metres wide bridge over the mighty Padma river. The bridge, which runs 6.1 kilometres over the river, has 41 spans, each measuring about 150 metres long. The Chinese company MBEC has carried out the construction which is at its final phase. Total cost: BD taka 30,190 crore (one taka currently equals 95 Indian paise) and total steel used: 3,376 tonnes.
These stats make the new Padma bridge the longest/biggest in the sub-continent, narrowly eclipsing the recently built long Bhupan Hazarika bridge on the Indian side. For the record, the impressive Hazarika bridge is around 9 kms long, 13 metres wide and its longest span is about 50 metres long. However, it has many more spans.
A four-lane highway for vehicular traffic by road would run over the railway lines on the Padma bridge. The target for completion of the project is June 2022. However, there are doubts as to whether the deadline would be maintained.
Interestingly, there are differing versions about the progress of the work so far in the Chinese and Bangladeshi media reports. While the official Chinese news agency reports that there had been no slowing down of work despite the ongoing Covid pandemic, even as work began on the final 41st span of the massive bridge, Dhaka-based media had a different account. Bengali papers reported that pandemic-related delays and other factors had delayed construction for over a year.
The project had been inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina amidst much fanfare and public anticipation in September 2015. But actual construction began only two years later. Since then, even ongoing work had been stalled/slowed down at times for different reasons. The strongly nationalist Prime Minister had a point to settle with the World Bank and other international agencies which had taken a keen interest initially and offered major help.
There were major differences of opinion between the Bank and the Bangladesh government over some allegations of corruption on the part of key officials and some interested parties. Despite investigating these allegations, Bangladesh government could not find much substance in the claims made by the World Bank. The Bank authorities soon announced that they would not be involved in the construction of the bridge unless their conditions were met.
While the matter raised a furore in Bangladesh, Ms Hasina stood firm. Throwing what amounted to a counter challenge to the World Bank, she announced that their assistance was no longer needed. Bangladesh would build the bridge with its own resources and appoint internationally recognised/specialized bridge building concerns to handle the work. Eventually the Chinese concern won the contract. The rest is history.
Following the World Bank’s exit, powerful circles in the USA and the EU were deeply upset by Dhaka’s decision to award the prestigious job to a Chinese concern. No wonder Western agencies and NGOs reporting on recent elections and other developments in Bangladesh from time to time have negatively targeted the ruling Awami League and its most prominent leader, Sheikh Hasina, on a number of issues.
Yet, the main Bangladeshi opposition party BNP and its associates could not make much political capital out of such stuff. Observers pointed out that what worked for the ruling Awami League and its powerful leader in recent years was the highly successful narrative of economic development in Bangladesh. The key to this were the growing remittances earned by Bangladeshis working abroad, its roaring garments export trade, the increase in income from transit fees and other sources from India and a strong domestic economy, with a robust balance of payments (BOP) record.
The new bridge, say Bangladeshi experts, would add to the country’s growing economic clout by adding about 2 per cent to its annual GDP figures. By reducing travelling time within Bangladesh itself and approaching Nepal, Bhutan, North Bengal and the Northeast Indian states by using the new bridge, Bangladesh would secure a major trade access to previously untapped markets, comprising millions of people with purchasing power. Broad terms of an agreement on transit fees and related issues with India have been worked out.
Further, it is not only Bangladesh that stands to gain. West Bengal, suffering from deep economic stagnation under the 10-year long Trinamool Congress rule is also poised to gain in a major way. Bangladeshis have been the biggest source of foreign exchange earnings for West Bengal for quite some time. One estimate by a Bangladeshi analyst noted that India annually earned around $300 million annually from visiting Bangladeshis through tourism, medical tourism, educational exchanges and the purchase of Indian consumer items. Of this, West Bengal’s share has been estimated at around 20 per cent or so, because Bangladeshi lower middle class budget tourists prefer to visit mainly Kolkata and surrounding districts, comfortable with the language, food and other local conditions. Bengal also stands to gain big time economically during the Id festivals, when around 200,000 Bangladeshis come visiting and go on a shopping spree. (IPA Service)
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