Strengthening Paradiplomacy: India-Bhutan Cross Border Railway Project

Keywords:  India, Bhutan. Paradiplomacy, Cross-Border Railway, People-to-People Ties 

Date: 01 December, 2023

The recent visit of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan to India reaffirms the commitment of both countries to improve cross-border connectivity and remove doubts regarding further delay in completion of the project. The visit taking place days after China and Bhutan’s boundary discussions, Bhutan also sought to reassure India that its interests would not be affected while dealing with China.

India and Bhutan have always maintained a distinct bilateral relationship marked by mutual trust and cooperation. Regular high-level visits and dialogues between the two have been an important factor in sustaining a strong friendship. Although formal state diplomacy has been the main focus of the Indian government, cross-border interactions between Bhutan and Northeast India continued in the informal route that is characterised by trade and daily movement of people.

Efforts to accommodate the interests of subnational states with the overall aim to improve ties with neighbouring countries can be seen in subregional initiatives such as the Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar (BCIM) and the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN), Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), designed to promote subregional integration, while simultaneously improving ties between the national governments.

In an effort to transform the connectivity landscape in the borderlands, India and Bhutan are set to be linked to each other through the first cross-border railway project. Once completed, the railway line will connect Kokrajhar in Assam, India to Gelephu in Sarpang, Bhutan. This project will not only strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries but also lay the foundation in strengthening paradiplomatic relations between Bhutan and India’s Northeastern states.

The importance of this endeavour is further marked by the financial commitment demonstrated by the Indian government in the allocation of INR 1.20 lakh crore for meeting the purpose of expansion and improvement of railway infrastructure in the Northeast region of the country. It is believed that the development of infrastructure will act as a harbinger of economic prosperity for the people in the region. 

It was back in 2005 when the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop a vast 57.5 km railway network to link important places situated along the Indo-Bhutan border. However, the foundation stone for the project was laid only in 2018 during the Prime Minister of Bhutan’s visit to India. Bureaucratic hurdles and environmental challenges were cited as the main reasons for delay in the project. A significant time had to be devoted in finalising the location and alignment of the railway track due to stiff opposition from local tea estate owners and workers regarding previously decided alignments.

In August 2023, the External Affairs Minister of India, S Jaishankar, in an interaction with the media, provided insights into the negotiation taking place between India and Bhutan with regards to the project and remarked on how it would be able to potentially benefit both trade and tourism between the two countries.

The project is being pushed at a time when China seems to be getting closer to Bhutan through the boundary talks. In 2021, China and Bhutan adopted a "3 Step Roadmap" for border solution. Furthermore, in October 2023, China and Bhutan convened the 25th round of boundary discussions and signed a Cooperation Agreement on the "Responsibilities and Functions of the Joint Technical Team (JTT) on the Delimitation and Demarcation of the Bhutan-China Boundary" which marks an advance in the "3 Step Roadmap".

Although Bhutan’s Prime Minister did assure India that any arrangement with China would not undermine India's interests, China's growing presence and influence in the region can endanger India's security interests, especially in the disputed Doklam plateau near the tri-junction of India, Bhutan, and China given its strategic importance. Moreover, in the event of China and Bhutan reaching an understanding on Doklam, it may further increase the strategic vulnerability in accessing Northeastern states from the rest of India.

At a high-level meeting held on 6 November 2023 between King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi, the two leaders discussed a wide range covering bilateral issues and global issues of mutual interest. Special emphasis was laid on the aspect of cross-border connectivity with a decision being reached on conducting the final survey for the 57.5 km long railway project. In the past, Bhutan has been cautious when it comes to engaging at the paradiplomacy level with Northeast Indian states. Reasons can be traced to insurgency activities in certain states of the region that at one point used Bhutan as a safe-haven.

The railway line will not only connect border regions of the two neighbouring nations but will also positively impact the people-to-people ties, that in turn will further strengthen the bond between the two countries. The initiative provides a plethora of opportunities for economic prosperity in India's Northeast region. It will create opportunities and facilitate cross-border negotiations for the local people. It will also provide avenues for subnational engagements with regard to various concerns ranging from border security to cross-border illegal activities.

Once the project is completed, it will serve as an impetus for the development of similar initiatives in the southern and eastern regions of both countries and further improve trans-border connectivity. The railway link will strengthen greater regional integration and improve the livelihood of people in the border region. Thus create the ground for continued bilateral cooperation and pave the way for deepening paradiplomatic collaboration.

Sreedipta Roy is an Intern at Asian Confluence. She is pursuing her undergraduate in Political Science at Jadavpur University, Kolkata.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above and the information available  are those of the author/s and can therefore in no way be taken to reflect the position of Asian Confluence