Annoyed by the slow progress of the ambitious Agartala-Akhaura railway project on the Bangladesh side, Bangladesh Railway Minister Mohammad Nurul Islam Sujon on Thursday issued a terse warning to the assigned construction company.
The minister asked the construction company to finish the remaining works within December 2022 failure of which the company could face dire consequences.
"The deadline of the project has been extended three times. As per the official records, it was decided that by June the works would be complete but the progress is highly disappointing. We are giving six more months of time, if the construction company fails to keep their commitment, we will be compelled to float fresh tenders breaking ties with the existing construction partner," said the Bangladesh Minister.
The minister accompanied by the Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Doraiswami and other higher officials of the Bangladesh railway inspected the ongoing work and reviewed progress.
They arrived in the Akhaura area of Bangladesh just a few kilometers away from Agartala, the capital city of Tripura.
The Indian enjoy on the other hand sought cooperation from everyone to make sure that the project gets completed in time.
"I want to request everyone to help us so that this important railway route becomes functional as soon as possible," he told reporters.
Bangladesh Minister said, "India and Bangladesh have been working to strengthen ties by increasing connectivity between both the countries. Whether it is land, water or airways new doors are being opened to make sure that the bilateral relationship can be strengthened".
Expressing his disappointment, he said, "Prime Ministers of both the countries laid the foundation stone of the project. The construction agency has said that by June next year laying of tracks can be started. Other works like setting up signaling stations, station building, etc. will take some more time".
Admitting that COVID-19 is one of the factors that delayed construction works, he said, "Definitely, the COVID-19 pandemic has stalled the development works but as the situation is returning to normalcy, we also have to work hard".
The 15.6 kilometer long railway path is considered to be a strategic railway link between the North East region and Bangladesh.
A length of 5.46 kilometers falls in the Indian territory which is almost complete while the rest of the 10 kilometers falls in the Bangladesh side.
( With inputs from ANI )
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