New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline on Saturday. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was also present in this program organized online. PM Modi said on this occasion that a new chapter has begun regarding the relationship between the two countries.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline on Saturday. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was also present in this program organized online. PM Modi said on this occasion that a new chapter has begun regarding the relationship between the two countries. We laid its foundation in September 2018. I am glad to have the opportunity to inaugurate it today with PM Sheikh Hasina.
PM Modi said that I am confident that this pipeline will further accelerate the development of Bangladesh, and will also serve as an excellent example of increasing connectivity between the two countries. He further said that as a result of this, during the Kovid epidemic, we were able to send oxygen etc. to Bangladesh through the rail network. I heartily congratulate Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her vision.
The Prime Minister said that Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in the last few years under the able leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Every Indian is proud of this and we are happy that we have been able to contribute to this development journey of Bangladesh. I am confident that this pipeline will further accelerate the development of Bangladesh and will also serve as an excellent example of increasing connectivity between the two countries.
He said that I remember that many years back Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina discussed about her vision of restoring the pre-1965 rail connectivity. Since then both the countries together have made a lot of progress on it. As a result of this, during the Kovid epidemic, we were able to send oxygen etc. to Bangladesh through the rail network.
PM Modi said that today India is supplying more than 1100 MW electricity to Bangladesh. The first unit of Maitri Super Thermal Power Project has been commissioned. It was inaugurated last year during PM Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India. Now we are working towards starting the second unit soon.
This is the first cross-border pipeline between the two countries. It has been built at a cost of about Rs 377 crore. Of the total cost, Rs 285 crore has been spent on laying the pipeline in Bangladesh. India has spent this amount under grant aid.
The Ministry of External Affairs had told on Friday that one million tonnes of high-speed diesel can be sent through the pipeline in a year. Through this, initially high-speed diesel will be sent to seven districts of northern Bangladesh. The operationalization of the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline will establish a sustainable, reliable, cost-effective and environment-friendly way of moving HSD (High Speed Diesel) from India to Bangladesh and further enhance cooperation in energy security between the two countries.
