The Tetulia Corridor is a proposed passage that would connect the political subdivision of Chopra in North Dinajpur district to the towns of

Jalpaiguri Jalpaiguri (), is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Jalpaiguri district as well as of the Jalpaiguri division of West Bengal, covering the jurisdiction of the five districts of North Bengal. The city is ...

and

Mainaguri Mainaguri is a town and a municipality in the Jalpaiguri Sadar subdivision of the Jalpaiguri district in the state of West Bengal, India. The town is located on the banks of the Jarda River. It is known as the "Gateway of the Dooars" and is a ...

Jalpaiguri district Jalpaiguri district () is a district of the Indian state of West Bengal. The district was established in 1869 during British Raj. The headquarters of the district are in the city of Jalpaiguri, which is also the divisional headquarters of Ja ...

in the Indian state of

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

, through

Tetulia Upazila Tetulia (), historically spelt as Tentulia, is the northernmost region of Bangladesh, constituting an upazila in Panchagarh District of Rangpur Division. Tetulia is geographically the northernmost tip of Bangladesh. Tetulia is notable for its tea ...

Debangarh Union in

Rangpur Division Rangpur Division (; ; ) is a first-level Divisions of Bangladesh, administrative division of Bangladesh. It covers the northernmost part of the country with a population of about 18 million inhabitants within an area of . Rangpur Division shar ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. The government of India has taken up the opening of the corridor with the government of Bangladesh. The corridor would reduce the travel distance by about and facilitate easier access to

Northeast India Northeast India, officially the North Eastern Region (NER), is the easternmost region of India representing both a geographic and political Administrative divisions of India, administrative division of the country. It comprises eight States and ...

History

Since the

partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

, the country's only access to its northeast has been the narrow

Siliguri Corridor The Siliguri Corridor, often dubbed the "Chicken's Neck", is a stretch of land around the city of Siliguri in West Bengal, India. at the narrowest section, this geopolitical and geoeconomical corridor connects the seven states of northeast ...

, vulnerable to natural disasters like landslides. Article VIII of the India-Bangladesh Trade Agreement, signed in 1980, states, "The two governments agree to make mutually beneficial arrangements for the use of their waterways, railways and roadways for commerce between the two countries and for passage of goods between two places in one country through the territory of the other". Based on this provision India allowed a Bangladesh-to-Bangladesh passage called Teen Bigha Corridor through its territory, initially for a limited duration each day, and eventually, through a lease agreement, for 24 hours a day, starting in September 2011. Afterwards, politicians in the region stepped up efforts to persuade Bangladesh to reciprocate and grant access to India through its territory. The government of Bangladesh has not decided on the issue, and the proposal remains pending. Local leaders demanded that the Indian government initiate negotiations on the issue, and to settle it along with Indo-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement.

Benefits

The corridor would reduce the travel distance by from the Indian "mainland" to the Indian northeast. It would thereby likely enhance commerce in the region, as well as facilitating Indian administration of

by making it easier to reach from the state capital.

External links

Map of India-Bangladesh border links

Notes

{{Bangladesh–India relations Geography of Bangladesh Borders of India Borders of Bangladesh Panchagarh District Geography of Rangpur Division Geopolitical corridors