The Haldibari- Chilahati railway link is a 12 km long stretch that connects India and Bangladesh. Haldibari is located at a distance of 4.5 kilometers from the international border while Chilahati is located at a distance of 7.5 kilometers. Haldibari is located in Coochbehar district of West Bengal and Chilahati is located in northern Bangladesh.
Key Points for UPSC Prelims
- This route was operational until 1965 when the operations stopped during the India-Pakistan war.
- In 2011, India and Bangladesh signed an agreement for opening new rail links and enhance logistic and cultural connectivity between the two countries.
- As a part of the said agreement, the Haldibari- Chilahati railway link is set to be reopened for rail transport after 55 years.
- The railway link will be inaugurated virtually by PM Modi and Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina on December 17.
- In order to mark the reopening of the Haldibari- Chilahati railway route, a goods train will run from Chilahati to Haldibari.
- When a passenger train will run on the railway route, people will be able to travel from Jalpaiguri to Kolkata in 7 hours. This is around 5 hours less than what it takes the people to travel.
Swadhinata Sarak
A road connecting India and Bangladesh Swadhinata Sarak will become functional on March 26, 2021. The road will connect Mujibnagar, Meherpur district of Bangladesh. The Indian side of the road is already functional. The road was constructed in the year 1971.
Agreement between India and Bangladesh for COVID-19 Vaccine
Recently, the Bangladesh government has signed an agreement with the Serum Institute of India (SII) for procuring 3 crore doses of the Oxford-Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine. As per the agreement, the vaccine will be delivered to Bangladesh in 6 installments of 50 lakh doses each.
