Why is India eyeing this port of Bangladesh, China will be jealous

New Delhi: The Dragon has its eyes set on Bangladesh’s Mongla Port. It constantly wants to get into this port. However, India has put a stop to its efforts. India has shown interest in operating the Mongla Port in Bangladesh and building a new terminal there. India already has operational rights of Chabahar Port in Iran and Sittwe Port in Myanmar. According to people familiar with the developments in the Asian continent, if this move is successful, it will be a major strategic success for India.

The operation of Mongla Port will further enable India to counter the growing strategic presence of its neighbour China. It will also help in managing ports in both the western and eastern parts of the Indian Ocean region. This matter can prove to be a milestone in the partnership of the two countries when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina over the weekend. At the same time, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh is planning to come on a state visit to India later this month or in early July. Hasina congratulated PM Modi on Tuesday night after the BJP-led NDA’s third consecutive victory in the Lok Sabha elections.

On the other hand, China is also urging Hasina to include Beijing in her itinerary. However, the Bangladesh PM is not keen to make this trip before her India visit. Sheikh Hasina has been invited by the Modi government to visit India along with the top leaders of Nepal, Bhutan, Mauritius and Sri Lanka. These leaders have been invited for the swearing-in ceremony of the Modi 3.0 government. Sources said that the Center is keeping an eye on China’s efforts to manage a major infrastructure project in India’s neighborhood. This is also an uncomfortable issue. In view of this, when PM Modi meets his/her counterparts this weekend, cross-border connectivity projects and business initiatives may be the major issues that will be discussed during this time.

India already has cargo handling facilities in both Chittagong and Mongla ports to the northeastern states. This bypasses the 1,650-km-long Chicken Neck corridor. Last month, an Indian delegation from India Ports Global Ltd led by its managing director Sunil Mukundan visited Mongla port to study the operational facilities in detail, our sister publication ET has learnt. If the talks proceed successfully, Mongla will be the third international port operation to be taken over by India after Chabahar Port in Iran and Sittwe in Myanmar. Both these ports are managed by India Ports Global Ltd (IPGL).

In Sri Lanka, an Indo-Russian joint venture has received management rights for the airport around the Hambantota port managed by China. IPGL has now been asked to submit a detailed written proposal to the Mongla Port Authority. A representative of the Mongla Port Authority said that the delegation was informed that the proposal will be evaluated after it is received. If it is found to be beneficial, it will be sent to the government for a decision.