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INDIA/BANGLADESH: Rail Link Revived After 43 Years

Farid Ahmed

DHAKA, Apr 15 2008 (IPS) - It was a trip down memory lane for old timers who travelled from Dhaka to Kolkata by train on Monday. The last time they could do this was 43 years ago.

A 70-year- old Sheikh Rasul Haque who was travelling with his two sons from the Bangladesh capital Dhaka to Kolkata on the maiden trip of the Moitree (friendship) Express on Monday recalled making the trip by train to Kolkata in 1962 as a student.

A war in 1965 between India and Pakistan (of which Bangladesh was a part until 1971) stopped the cross border passenger train service that covers a distance of 538km – 418km of it in Bangladesh and 120km in India.

"I have so many fond memories of those days when I used to travel with my father and today I&#39m happy as I&#39m travelling with my sons,’’ Haque said.

It was yesterday once more for Momena Begum, 75, and 76-year-old K.S. Zaman who were among the older set of passengers and swept over by nostalgia as Bangladesh&#39s foreign minister Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury whistled off the Moitree Express at 8:30am from Dhaka&#39s cantonment station with nearly 400 passengers on board.

Chowdhury&#39s Indian counterpart, Pranab Mukherjee, flagged off the reciprocal Moitree Express from India&#39s Chitpur station in Kolkata with 65 passengers on board on Monday coinciding with the Bangla new year.

A Dhaka-based journalist Raheed Ejaz, who was on the ‘Moitree Express’ of the Bangladesh Railway, told IPS over phone that it was colourful all the way and that, as the train entered India through Bangladesh&#39s Darshana border at about 5 pm (Bangladesh Time), hundreds of people thronged the tracks to wave.

Bangladesh became independent from Pakistan in 1971 following a civil war in which the Indian army was embroiled. But despite the goodwill for India in the newly born country the rail link was never restored and travellers had to be satisfied with bus and air links.

"All the preparations, including security and immigration measures, have been completed before the formal launch of the passenger train service," said A.T.K.M. Ismail, a high official in Bangladesh&#39s communications ministry.

Bangladesh and India signed an agreement in 2001 to commission the direct passenger train service between Dhaka and Kolkata. But it took until Apr. 10, this year, before the two countries could sign a supplementary agreement clearing the way for the cross-border run of trains on the Dhaka-Kolkata route.

West Bengal in India and Bangladesh, previously known as East Pakistan, are home to Bengali-speaking people. The larger Bengal was partitioned in 1947, on the basis of religion, as the subcontinent got freedom from the British colonial rule.

Before boarding the train Zaman said he was visiting relatives in Kolkata where he was born 76 years ago. Zaman and his family migrated to East Pakistan in the wake of Hindu-Muslim riots during the violent partition.

The journey took over 12 hours, including five hours for customs formalities on both sides of the border.

Passengers from both India and Bangladesh, however, alleged that the customs and immigration on both the sides were taking too much time for clearance and many said it could discourage people from using the train service.

Prof. Ataur Rahman, who teaches political science at Dhaka University, told IPS that bureaucratic short-sightedness in both the countries ought not be allowed to overtake the spirit of the people. "There are good things about India-Bangladesh relations… there are irritants as well," he said.

The revival of the rail service was welcomed by the people in both the countries and must not be given any political colour, Rahman said, adding that it should be taken as connectivity for the people of the two countries. "Connectivity is a must in the region and Bangladesh and India must be connected and it should be hassle-free because the people will look for the cost benefit," he said.

"India should be more generous and Bangladesh should be more liberal for a functioning relationship… Bangladesh should not forget India is a power in the region… at the same time India should win the hearts of the people, certainly not by its sheer strength," Rahman, a well-known analyst said.