On 17th December, King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, highlighted the recently announced railway project between India and Bhutan in his National Day address. The railway project is set to connect Gelephu in Bhutan to Kokrajhar in Assam, India. It is aimed to improve diplomatic and economic relations between the two neighbouring countries.
Watch: During national day address, Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck mentions the first ever Bhutan India Railway connect; thanks PM Modi & India govt for supporting the project. pic.twitter.com/sQz2KGqP2q
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) December 17, 2023
Speaking on the National Day, King Wangchuck said, “Around 2 billion people in South Asia…It’s a period of awakening for the region, a period of growth, a period of immense opportunities.” Furthermore, he thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India for the Railway project, connectivity and support for the project.
Bhutan celebrated its 116th National Day on 17th December. On this day, the first King of Bhutan, Gongsar Ugyen Wangchuck, was coronated in 1907, marking the country’s unification.
The Railway project was discussed between King Wangchuck and PM Modi during the King’s visit to India in early November. It is being touted as King’s legacy as it will reshape the regional landscape by improving connectivity, trade and economic cooperation between India and Bhutan. It will also improve employment in Bhutan. Reportedly, Bhutan is facing a brain drain as many youths are opting to leave the country and settle abroad in countries like Australia. During his address, the King emphasised improving up-skilling in the country.
The Indian Railways has already completed the Preliminary Engineering-cum-Traffic (PET) survey for the project. Furthermore, plans are underway to upgrade the existing Land Customs station at Dadgiri in Assam to an integrated Check Post as part of the project. Similar upgrades are being planned at Gelephu in Bhutan to ensure a seamless trade environment.
Once completed, further possibilities to extend the project to Banarhat in West Bengal and Samtse in Bhutan will be explored.
In November, the joint statement issued by India and Bhutan read, “During the visit to Assam, Hon’ble Governor of Assam Shri Gulab Chand Kataria hosted a dinner in honour of His Majesty. Hon’ble Chief Minister of Assam Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, called on His Majesty and discussed a wide range of issues, including rail connectivity, cross-border trade infrastructure, economic cooperation, tourism, education, skill development, environmental conservation, and nurturing people-to-people connections.
To further expand bilateral cooperation on trade, technology, cross-border connectivity, mutual investments, education and people-to-people connections, the following was agreed upon:
To undertake the Final Location Survey (FLS), in consultation with the Bhutanese side, of the proposed cross-border rail link connecting Kokrajhar in Assam to Gelephu in Bhutan through GoI support. The two sides noted successful completion of the Preliminary Engineering-cum-Traffic (PET) survey of the rail-link by Indian Railways. The two sides also agreed to consider establishing rail-link between Banarhat (West Bengal) and Samtse (Bhutan).
To designate Darranga (Assam)/Samdrup Jongkhar (Bhutan) as immigration check post between Bhutan and India to facilitate the entry and exit of third country nationals by land route for enhancing connectivity, and promoting tourism.
GOI to positively consider Bhutan’s request for concessional financing in the area of skill development and capacity building under the GyalSung Project.
To designate Haldibari (West Bengal) – Chilahati (Bangladesh) rail route as an additional trade route for Bhutan’s trade with Bangladesh.”
In August this year, Minister of External Affairs, Dr S Jaishankar, had talked about the said railway project. Addressing the media, Dr Jaishankar emphasised on the importance of enhancing trade and tourism opportunities with Bhutan via the railway link.
The Bhutan-China relations
Notably, while Bhutan-India relations continue to thrive, the situation is quite the opposite when it comes to the relations between Bhutan and its other neighbour, China. Relations between them have been deteriorating over the years because of the land disputes. In 2021, it was reported that China had established a new village in the south of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and named it Gyalaphug in Tibetan or Jieluobu in Chinese. China has been developing the 232-square-mile area with settlers, security personnel, and military infrastructure originally belonging to Bhutan. The new construction commenced under President Xi Jinping’s significant drive along Himalayan frontiers.
