INDIAN Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi Counterpart Sheikh Hasina spearheaded the formal inauguration of the so-called ‘Indo-Bangla friendship pipeline’ via video conference, as the critical infrastructure opened at a time when the economy of Bangladesh is in need of stability.
Construction of the 131.57-km cross-border pipeline cost about US $45.7-M, which was signed in 2017.
The pipeline, 126.57 km have been installed in Bangladesh while the remaining 5 km are found in India.
Bangladesh – home to about 170 million people- needs to import 6.6 million tons to 7.7 million tons of diesel every year to meet its demand.
This is the first cross-border energy pipeline between the two south Asian neighbors.
The pipeline can transport 1 million metric ton per annum (MMTPA) of high-speed diesel (HSD) and supply energy to 7 districts in northern Bangladesh.
The agreement came 51 years after a treaty of friendship and peace was signed between the two countries in March 1972.
Bangladesh is India’s largest trade partner in the region while cooperation in the power and energy sector has become one of the hallmarks of their bilateral ties.
The pipeline is yet another proof that the friendship between the two countries has certainly withstood the test of time despite several obstacles that challenged their diplomatic ties through the years.
