Introduction:
India-Bangladesh transit is a much-discussed topic in international politics and relations. The India-proposed ‘transit issue’ of providing easy safe and short-distance connectivity to the landlocked northeastern states almost cut off from the larger Indian mainland over Bangladesh’s domestic politics recently has sparked widespread reactions in Bangladesh’s internal politics. All opposition organizations, organizations and expert intellectuals, including the opposition parties of Bangladesh, have identified the transit facility as a ‘corridor’ for India over Bangladesh. On the other hand, the government has claimed that it is economically beneficial and an opportunity to improve relations between the two countries based on India Bangladesh transit issue.
What is transit?
Transit means ‘facility of crossing’ in Bengali. The literal meaning of the word transit is “Process of going or conveying across, over or thought” (Hawking, 1981). Currently, transit facilities are widely discussed to facilitate the movement of manpower, equipment and goods across its northeastern territory by India over Bangladesh.
Under this transit facility (if the agreement is implemented), goods and commodities from India’s West Bengal or any other province can be transported directly over the land of Bangladesh by ‘short-cart’ method using Bangladesh’s seaports (Chittagong and Mongla ports), sea, rail and land routes quickly and cost-effectively. Strategically, its landlocked and isolated northeastern seven states will have easy access and in return, Bangladesh will gain financial benefits.
What is a Corridor?
A ‘corridor’ is a communication link through which people, vehicles or goods can pass through the territory of another country from one region of the same country to another isolated or unconnected part of the same country.
Reasons for Transit:
Various types of industrial and agricultural products from India’s industrialized states of Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and other western states and the farming regions of Bihar, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal travel through the ‘Siliguri Corridor’ of North Bengal to reach the consumers of the northeastern states, crossing thousands of kilometres of inaccessible hills. It has to be crossed by rail and road.
As a result, India has to spend an additional five to seven thousand crores of rupees every year on transportation costs alone. Moreover, India has to maintain huge military installations, troops and logistics in those states due to their extremely fragile geopolitical and strategic location. It has been proven that thousands of crores of rupees and a lot of time will be saved if India gets direct short-cut access to those states by using the rail, road and waterways of Bangladesh. Moreover, one can be sure about defence and security through it very easily.
Outline of India’s Transit Proposal:
Under India’s proposed transit facility, goods brought from West Bengal or Chennai (Madras), Visakhapatnam ports over the land of Bangladesh by land (road and rail) or from the ports of Chennai (Madras), Visakhapatnam to reach the seven far north-eastern states of Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.
The goods would first be unloaded at Chittagong Port and stored in locally built secure and well-located warehouses and would then proceed to Tripura via the Bilonia border or enter Tripura’s southern river port Sabrum (north of the Feni River) by small barges.
From here the newly constructed road will go to distant states including Assam, Manipur, and Nagaland. Moreover, it will be possible to send the goods and military equipment from Chittagong port easily through Kaptai, Dighinala, Baghachari, and Marisya over the Chittagong Hill Tracts or through the inaccessible hill roads in the east to Mizoram, Tripura and Nagaland, Manipur. India has proposed to develop the Chittagong Port by developing it.
Moreover, India will get the facility to send people, goods and machinery to its northeastern states over Bangladesh with long-distance heavy trucks by road through the borders of Benapole, Darshana etc. India enters through the mentioned borders in the West, Kasba, Akhaura, and Comilla in the eastern part of Bangladesh, Tamabil in Sylhet (Meghalaya through Shillong to Gauhati in Assam and other distant places), Jokiganj, Cachar, Karimganj, Hailakandi etc. through Tinsukia to Arunachal or Dibrugarh, Digboy, Iskol, Aizawl etc. will enable easy connectivity and cost-effective safe transportation of goods and people in the city.
Although India’s transit proposal mainly talks about its freight facilities, it also includes the right to own maintenance and management to ensure the safety and security of those lines; Proposals for expansion of Chittagong port facilities and facilities and conditions to ensure that Bangladesh can never unilaterally shut down the transit once it resumes normally.
Interests and Benefits of Transit:
If the mutual transit system between India and Bangladesh is implemented, both India and Bangladesh can benefit financially. However, it is unlikely that both countries will benefit economically by providing corridors in the name of transit. India is currently preparing and preparing for the transit and has laid out an economic outline for the Prasta Bina. Below is a brief overview of the economic benefits of India’s transit proposals.
India’s Benefits in India Bangladesh Transit Treaty:
The picture of India’s interests and financial gains through transit is as follows:
1. India’s transit facility over Bangladesh is exclusive for the transportation and transfer of mineral resources (natural oil, gas, coal, uranium, limestone, hard rock, porcelain, etc.) of the northeastern region of India, which is one of the components of industrial development and utilization in the western region of India and other states.
2. India’s Karimganj, Cachar district, Tripura, Meghalaya, Darjeeling, Coochbehar and Jalpaiguri districts of North Bengal bordering Nepal and Bhutan and some other northeastern states and districts are scattered in the hilly regions of the world, with one of the world’s richest and most extensive tea, coffee, rubber plantations. , bay leaves, oranges, pears and various valuable fruit and herb gardens or plantations. There are about 8/900 small and large tea gardens in the northeastern region of India. India earns billions of dollars in foreign exchange by exporting a large part of its products of Assam abroad.
However, due to the lack of direct seaport connection with that region, India has to travel around 500 to 150/2000 kilometres to bring the goods to Calcutta or Haldia port in West Bengal through the Siliguri corridor. As a result, India has to spend an additional amount of about 5 to 7 thousand crores of rupees every year. If India can take a ‘short-cut’ transit through Bangladesh with a total tariff or transit fee of 5-7 billion or more than 1000 crore rupees, then India will be able to save at least 5/6 thousand crore rupees in the transport sector.
3. Assam, Tripura, Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal and Meghalaya have the largest and richest forests in India. In those deep tropical forests (Dense Tropical Forests) there are very valuable wood trees, such as Burmese Teak, Mahogany, Agar, Shishu, Gurjan, Jarul, Shirish, Karai, Bamboo, Gallabeth etc. There is a great demand for these valuable and versatile timber forest products in cities and towns of various central and western states including West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra, Punjab and various processing centres.
Because of the distance and transportation difficulties, these heavy and labour-intensive products cannot be taken profitably to present Western markets or demand centres. A direct link through Bangladesh to Assam, Tripura or other regions would enable hundreds of crores of timber and forest products to be profitably delivered easily and quickly to Calcutta and other places.
4. If the transit agreement with Bangladesh is concluded, India will reduce the huge budget (at least one and a half to two thousand crore rupees per year) for the expensive maintenance, repair management and development sector of its long-distance connecting lines (rail, road and air) in the north-eastern region by almost half.
On the other hand, Bangladesh has to spend only one-tenth of it every year (excluding fees). Bodo, Manipuri and ULFA (ULFA) separatist guerillas lose billions of rupees worth of goods every year due to sneak attacks and sabotage attacks. The transit facility will ensure India’s freedom from those fears and apprehensions to a large extent.
India can also benefit from the transit and transit of its people, machinery, goods and vehicles over Bangladesh, as well as the laying of power grid lines and natural gas supply pipelines from Assam over Bangladesh. If it is achieved, Assam’s cheap and abundant water, electricity and natural gas will be able to flow very profitably and easily to the grids of distant states like West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa etc. In this way also India will gain huge financial interest.
5. By gaining military transport facilities through transit over Bangladesh, India will easily be able to reap enormous economic benefits by suppressing insurgency in its separatist regions, securing ownership and security of resources, and securing its market and business interests while maintaining its sovereignty.
Benefits of Bangladesh in India Bangladesh transit agreement:
Bangladesh also has the opportunity to benefit financially through transit. It is highlighted below-
- If the India-Bangladesh transit is established, Bangladesh will earn 700 to 1000 crores of foreign exchange per year from the exchange fee or tariff of the transit facilities that it will provide to India. With which the infrastructural and port development of Bangladesh can be done.
- For transit, India will invest significant sums of money in the construction and development of Bangladesh’s highways, railways and ports (including Chittagong seaport) and they will get a favourable opportunity to develop, repair and maintain the communication system at no cost to Bangladesh, which could save the country hundreds of crores of rupees.
- Bangladesh is also touted to establish commercial transit with Nepal and Bhutan over India through the India-Bangladesh Transit Exchange. If this is implemented, Bangladeshi products will be able to go to Nepal and Bhutan. As a result, Bangladesh’s foreign trade will expand.
India Bangladesh transit - In return for transit, Bangladesh has been asked to expand commercial activities in the north-eastern region of India under the Sapta agreement, if this is implemented, Bangladesh will also be able to profitably earn huge foreign exchange through trade in the regions of Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram etc. by exporting hundreds of crores of goods.
Disarmament Definition - If India is given the opportunity and facility to use the Chittagong sea port of Bangladesh under transit, this port, which has inadequate organization of Bangladesh’s main foreign trade, will have to be exempted to a large extent from using this port for the huge needs of Bangladesh. At present, due to the lack of daily range, many ships have to stay and wait outside anchorage day after day in this port. Lack of water in the Karnaphuli River, inadequate width of the creek and the inconvenient situation of the port’s ‘harbour’ and ‘anchorage’ facilities would have faced great difficulties for Bangladesh if India got the opportunity to use the port; Hundreds of crores of rupees have to be paid as arrears.
India Bangladesh transit
- If due to internal political unrest in Bangladesh, goods in transit from India are disrupted or those goods and routes are destroyed by any sabotage attempt, Bangladesh will have to pay full compensation as per the normal terms or conditions of the agreement. On the other hand, independence-seeking separatists can carry out various destructive activities in Bangladesh’s Chittagong port and transit roads, railways, pools-culvert-bridges, etc., which will be very harmful to the economy and security of Bangladesh.
Conclusion:
In the era of globalization, no country can sit with its doors and windows closed. The need of the hour is to realize our interests by establishing mutual communication and networks between neighbouring and friendly countries. Considering that, the establishment of transit facilities between India, Nepal and Bhutan is necessary for the economic development of Bangladesh. However, in this case, the issue of safety needs to be considered first.