Northeastern India and its relation with Bangladesh and Southeast Asian countries have now become one of the most talked-about topics across the continent and this was proven in the recently organized NADI (Natural Allies in Development and Interdependence) event.
Supported by India’s External Affairs Ministry, the event held in Guwahati, Assam on May 28 and 29 was focused on exploring further the potential of increasing trade and connectivity in the region.
The event saw the presence of various high-profile dignitaries including the foreign minister of Bangladesh, external affairs and finance ministers of India and the chief minister of Assam along with representatives of the Southeast Asian countries including Thailand. The event highlighted factors on how northeastern India could become the most important gateway for Southeast Asian countries and strengthen India’s friendship with Bangladesh.
India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar laid the grand outline of the connectivity scenario in the region and the steps the Indian government was taking to enhance this further. He highlighted the importance of the rivers of India and Bangladesh in building a strong neighbourhood and supporting various initiatives like BBIN and BIMSTEC. The potential of the national waterways of India was recently witnessed when a cargo vessel with tons of goods from Bihar was transported to Assam through the rivers Ganga and Brahmaputra using Bangladesh’s river route, Jaishankar emphasized this as a milestone between the two countries who are using their water potentials to build a strong relationship which will further impact the growth and development of northeastern India. Jaishankar also touched on points on how India and Bangladesh are sharing power and internet gateways and how they can be extended. He mentioned the importance of bilateral railway connectivity.
Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen mentioned sharing the ports of Chittagong and Mongla with India to ease the shipments of goods which will help both countries share the same growth and development and has also assured that there will be many more co-operations in future which are in pipeline and will be implemented soon.
Looking at northeastern India’s geography, it is pertinent to mention that all eight states of the region share a close proximity with Bangladesh through Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram. Nourishing all the available river gateways in these four states will allow India and Bangladesh to share a deep bonding in terms of transportation and sharing culture and tradition. History has shown how a well-connected Bangladesh and the northeastern region of India were a part of each other before partition and now with all the recent developments, once again, such connectivity will be restored. The chief minister of Assam also highlighted how India’s northeast and Bangladesh share a close bonding through rivers and how this can be utilized to uplift both the regions.
There are two new upcoming railway links between India and Bangladesh which will boost the connectivity. Mahisasan in Karimganj Assam will be linked to Shabazpur in Bangladesh and Agartala in Tripura will be connected to Akhaura in and these two new railway links will see the light of the day within three years. Although the Mahisasan-Shabazpur connectivity is not new as there was connectivity through this route till the 1965 India–Pakistan war whereas the Agartala-Akhaura is a completely new section, which will bring Tripura much closer to the Chittagong division.
It is a well-known fact that the Chittagong port, which is just a few kilometers away from the Tripura border, is a major trade and commerce hub from where ships sail to various corners of the world, especially to the Southeast Asian countries. With the permission granted by Bangladesh, India can boost the potential of northeastern Indian states through the port and could help the local industry from the region make a global presence. In a similar way, Bangladesh on its part can use the same connection to further strengthen its land route with Myanmar through the India-Myanmar gateway like Manipur’s Moreh and Mizoram’s Zokhawthar which are considered India’s most important trade routes to Myanmar and further to Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. This section will also strengthen BIMSTEC which marks its 25th founding anniversary this year.
In a conference held in Sri Lanka in March, it was decided that there should be proper work on rebuilding the connectivity between the BIMSTEC countries to ease the trade and commerce facilities. Many new Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) connecting northeastern India and Bangladesh are also being built.
India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the country spending close to $20 billion to boost the connectivity of the region which will include waterways, airways, roadways and railways and this is a part of the development that will further extend to Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries. The minister also updated on the India-World Bank initiative “Eastern Waterways Connectivity Transport Grid” where the World Bank is investing nearly $70 million to improve the riverine capacity of India’s National Waterways 1 and 2 connecting central India with the northeast through Bangladesh and it is said that this initiative will benefit not just India and Bangladesh but will also be helpful for Nepal and Bhutan to associate with India and Bangladesh to share the benefits.
Most of the families of Bangladesh and eastern India depend on rivers for their livelihood, hence, improving these rivers through initiatives like the Eastern Waterways Connectivity will directly or indirectly benefit close to 600 million people.
All these points were also echoed by the representatives of Thailand and other Southeast Asian country representatives at the NADI conference. Thailand is also a part of Bimstec. So, any development in this part of the region will somehow impact Thailand and Myanmar. It is estimated that the trade among BIMSTEC members is currently accounted for about $40 billion and has a potential to cross $250 billion in future and Bimstec cooperation is not just limited to trade and commerce but also conveys some wide perspectives like the climate change, security, agriculture, food, science and technology field. While discussing how to strengthen the connectivity in northeastern India and Bangladesh, it is important to note how BIMSTEC and BBIN can gain from all these developments.
While events like NADI give an opportunity to reassess the situation and progress on the ground, it is also a scope to explore the capacity building in the northeastern region to exploit the potential of the laid networks. How different regions in northeastern India generate their own capacity to be able to export to the Southeast Asian countries also needs to be discussed. The networks of roads, railways and ports will help bring in goods from different parts of India for taking them to the Southeast Asian countries and Bangladesh. But at the same time, the various strengths of the northeastern Indian region like agricultural produce, handlooms and traditional clothes and attires could find newer markets. Clearly, the various Indian states in the northeastern region have to invest in capacity building of their own through various clusters, to be able to optimize the potential. The tourism sector also will see a boost if capacity is increased for enhanced tourist activities in the region. The prospects of scenic, adventure and religious tourism can be thus realized more effectively.
Needless to say, NADI is yet another platform to see and explore what more can be achieved in the future.
