Indian prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh has reiterated India’s commitment to “completing the tasks” agreed upon by India and Bangladesh.
Jointly inaugurating the India-Bangladesh grid interconnection at Bheramara with Sheikh Hasina and laying the foundation stone of the thermal power project at Rampal in Bangladesh, Dr Singh conceded that progress is yet to be made in other areas. “We do recognise,” Dr Singh said, “that we have to make progress in other areas. We are committed to completing the tasks we had agreed upon in a manner that responds to the mutual aspirations of both our peoples.”
“The Framework Agreement on Cooperation for Development that we signed in Dhaka in 2011 provides the template for our cooperation in the future,” Dr Singh said.
The transmission link also forms a part of this Agreement, wherein both countries agreed to cooperate in generation, transmission and distribution of electricity and use power grid connectivity from renewable and other sources.
Lauding the initiative taken during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India in January 2010, Dr Singh said that “it is being realised today”.
“The transmission line and the high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) station in Bheramara provide a safe and reliable interconnection of the power grids of our two countries, which will enable supply of 500 MW of power from India to Bangladesh: a shared aspiration of our people has been translated into a concrete outcome,” Dr Singh said. Congratulating the people of Bangladesh for this extraordinary accomplishment, he also praised the technical personnel and officials at the Centre and in the state government of West Bengal for implementing
this landmark project in South Asia in such a short span of time.
Dr Singh also laid the foundation stone for the 1,320-MW Maitree Thermal Power Project being developed by the Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company. This is a joint venture between India’s National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Ltd and the Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB).
Dr Singh said the initiatives being undertaken today strengthen the bonds of friendship between India and Bangladesh: “They add a rich new dimension to our bilateral relations. Economic development is the biggest challenge for all countries in South Asia. Our destinies are inter-linked and so must our economies be. I have always believed – and I believe Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina shares my conviction – that the prospects for economic development in South Asia will be substantially enhanced through a partnership for shared prosperity between the countries of the region.”
He described today’s inauguration as “an important milestone” in connecting the two countries and the broader region through a growing web of cross-border energy links and trade.
Praising Bangladesh for its significant progress under Sheikh Hasina’s leadership, Dr Singh said it is one of the fastest growing economies in South Asia and its achievements in meeting the Millennium Development Goals stand as an example for the rest of the world. India, he added, wishes to see a strong and prosperous Bangladesh. He assured Bangladesh that India will remain a “steadfast and long-term partner” in the country’s development.
-With The Independent input
