“There was a time when Bangladesh was afflicted with pain and suffering”, Modi said while jointly inaugurating via video-conference with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina a power transmission line and an internet connectivity project between the two south Asian nations. At the same time, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina provided 10 GB Internet bandwidth to India and the entire programme was held through video-conferencing.
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India is already supplying 500 MW of power to Bangladesh through the Bahrampur-Bheramara inter-connection.
Hasina said her country was getting 500 MW power from India now and both the countries made considerable development in the field of cooperation through roads, railways and power.
“Now India and Bangladesh are connected through water, surface communication and air”.
India’s state-run Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) erected 400 KV d/c line from Agartala’s Suryamaninagar to the Indian border while Powergrid Corporation of Bangladesh Ltd built the transmission line from the border point to Comilla. The deal was a follow-up of an agreement that was signed by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during his visit to New Delhi in 2010. “It is our desire that Bangladesh joins India in space satellite mission too”, he said.
“Leasing of global bandwidth for Internet at Akhaura to Agartala will allow people of Tripura to avail more reliable net connectivity”, external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted.
BSCCL has laid an optical fibre cable for the 30 km distance from Brahmanbaria to Akhaura, which adjoins Agartala, Meanwhile, BSNL has set up an worldwide long-distance (ILD) gateway at Agartala, along with associated equipment. “Prime Minister will today inaugurate bandwidth link from Bangladesh to North East that will connect the region directly with global broadband gateway and improved telecom services there”, an official told.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj, and Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar also spoke at the inauguration.
The cost of the project is Rs. 1.91 crore with operational expenditure annually to the tune of around Rs. 7.2 crore.
This link will deliver bandwidth of 10 Gbps which can be extended up to 40 Gbps.
The decisions for these two projects were taken during Modi’s visit to Dhaka in June past year.
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India earlier supplied 500 MW power to Dhaka through West Bengal, but with the commencement of additional 100 MW, the total is likely to escalate up to 600 MW.
