Railways to buikld links with Nepal & Bhutan to counter China

PATNA: Indian Railways has chalked out a comprehensive plan to build rail links with Nepal and Bhutan in an apparent bid to counter the recent Chinese move to build rail links in South Asia. The Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) has been asked to submit a feasibility report on this soon.
According to a Railway Board official, the railways has taken a serious note of the fact that China has been building a 1,956-kilometre-long rail route connecting Qinghai province and Tibet with Kathmandu across the Tibetan plateau.
Besides, China intends to build an internal railway network in Nepal linking it to Pakistan via the Karakoram Highway and Bangladesh via Myanmar. Indian Railways proposes to build six rail links with Nepal and three with Bhutan on a priority basis, he said.
Recently, the railways has mooted a proposal to link India directly with Nepal to achieve its all-round development and enhance connectivity between the two neighbouring countries.
A Board official told TOI that the India-Nepal routes, which are under survey now, include six lines from Raxaul, Jogbani and Jaianagar in Bihar to Birganj, Biratnagar and Bardibas in Nepal. Besides, the railways has proposed to link Nepal from Nautanwa and Nepalganj Road in Uttar Pradesh as well as from New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal to Kakarbhitta in Nepal, he said, adding that there is only one existing rail link, that is Jaianagar-Janakpur, between India and Nepal as of now.
RITES MD V K Agarwal said while a few surveys have been completed, survey on other routes was on. The railways has also conducted an internal survey to provide three proposed rail links between India and Bhutan from Pathshala and Kokrajhar in Assam to Nanglam and Gelephu in Bhutan and Hashimara in West Bengal to Phuntsholing in Bhutan. The whole project is likely to cost about Rs 1,000 crore, sources said.
The proposed rail link will help both the countries improve their socio-economic conditions. It will also help to keep a watch on the activities of extremists and subversive forces and boost Nepal's economy as various food items, including salt, milk and fertilizers, could be easily transported to Nepal through the rail routes, sources said.