Jun 22, 2011

India Bangladesh Relations

The visit of the Vice President of India Mr. Hamid Ansari to Bangladesh during the month once again highlighted growing relations between the two countries, though the high dignitary was more on a ceremonial rather than a diplomatic trip The Vice President represented India at the 150th anniversary celebrations of the birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in Dhaka, on 6th May. The Vice President also called on President of Bangladesh Mohammad Zillur Rahman, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni called on him, and the Leader of Opposition Dr. Khaleda Zia also called on him.

Some of the key issues on which progress has been made are bilateral interactions include signing of the billion dollar line of credit agreement; signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on border haats; facilitating the electrification of the Bangladeshi enclaves Dahagram and Angarpota; designating Ashuganj in Bangladesh and Silghat in India as ports of call for the inland waterways transport; India agreeing to provide transit for Bangladesh nationals across Teen Bigha, and commencement of work on inter-grid connectivity between India and Bangladesh.

As far as the line of credit agreement, the principal beneficiary is the EXIM Bank in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has to present proposals which are commercially viable, which can be funded under the credit line. 15 Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) have been given by Bangladesh which is under vetting and work is likely to begin soon.

Creating a common electricity grid is one of the major channels under consideration. Work on the 40-kilometre, 400 KV high voltage direct current line has begun, and by end of next year that will be completed. India has indicated that it could provide up to 250 MW of electricity to Bangladesh. NTPC has signed an agreement with its counterpart organization in Bangladesh, which is their power corporation or Power Board to set up a huge coal-based plant in Khulna. This is an over 1300 MW power station and it is well-located because it is not far from the coast. So, coal can be brought in from the outside because Bangladesh does not have coal deposits.

For the gas station in Tripura, bulk of the 23 oversized packages, has been transshipped through a new transshipment point on the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route, which is the river navigation route by which India connects to India through Hooghly-Kolkata, through the Sundarbans. This particular cargo was meant for Tripura and that went to Karimganj and this is the first time India has used it. India has approved Rs 251 Crore (approximately Tk 408 Crore) for the construction of a 14 km railway track to connect India's Agartala with Akhaura of Bangladesh as per the PTI.

At the same time there are irritants in Indo Bangladesh relations. Many feel that these have become Party centric and progress well when the Awami League is in power in Dhaka while when opposition BNP heads the government the relations are luke warm if not downright hostile.  Chairperson of the BNP Khaleda Zia thus said India should discuss with all political parties of Bangladesh for developing good relations with the country. She made these remarks at the Atlantic Council of USA in Pennsylvania during her visit there. It will therefore augur well for New Delhi to attempt to build linkages across the party lines thereby providing greater continuity and stability to the relationship.

Delivery of promises made by India is also another concern and a large number of Bangladesh people are unhappy over implementation of some of the points in the agreement from time to time. One was the provision of 5 Lakh metric tons of rice. The rice has not been delivered so far despite four years have passed. India has also not rebuilt one village as promised after the cyclone Sidr along the coast in the country in 2007. Detractors however feel that these proposals were Bangladesh centric and did not provide any tangible benefits to India thus have been put on the slow burner. There are also other substantial issues such as the death of civilians in border firing that have to be addressed apart from river waters to place the Indo Bangladesh relations on a firm footing.