India halts Rs 50 billion rail projects in Bangladesh over security fears

24 Apr 2025 CW Team

India has suspended nearly Rs 50 billion worth of railway projects in Bangladesh, citing political instability and safety concerns for on-ground workers, according to a Hindu BusinessLine report.

The halted projects—meant to improve connectivity between India’s mainland and the Northeast via Bangladesh—include the Akhaura–Agartala cross-border rail link, the Khulna–Mongla port line, and the Dhaka–Tongi–Joydebpur expansion. Survey work on five other proposed links has also been paused.

With tensions escalating in Bangladesh, Indian authorities are now shifting focus to alternate transit routes through Nepal and Bhutan, while also ramping up internal connectivity via the Siliguri Corridor, a narrow but vital stretch linking the Northeast to the rest of the country.

Railway officials said work is being fast-tracked to double or quadruple lines in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar—states feeding into the Siliguri Corridor. Survey work for these capacity upgrades is already in progress.

India is also revisiting strategic rail agreements with Nepal and exploring potential corridors through Bhutan, which shares close proximity with the Northeast. While these routes pose fresh logistical challenges, they are seen as more stable alternatives to the Bangladesh route in the current geopolitical context.

Image source:reuters

Real Estate

02 Apr 2026

Indian real estate attracts USD 1.4 bn institutional investments in Q1 2026: Vestian

Institutional investments in India’s real estate sector touched USD 1.4 billion in Q1 2026, marking the highest first-quarter inflow since 2022, according to Vestian. While investments fell 62 per cent quarter-on-quarter due to an exceptionally high base in the previous quarter, they rose 74 per cent compared to the same period last year, reflecting sustained investor confidence despite rising geopolitical and macroeconomic challenges.Commercial real estate remained the key driver of investment activity during the quarter, accounting for 80 per cent of total inflows, sharply higher than 38 p..

VECV crosses 1 lakh annual vehicle sales milestone in FY26

VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV), a joint venture between Volvo Group and Eicher Motors, has surpassed the 1 lakh annual sales mark in FY 2025–26, recording its highest-ever commercial vehicle sales performance. The company said it sold more than 100,000 vehicles during the year, marking a major milestone aligned with the original vision of the Volvo–Eicher joint venture.The strong performance was supported by demand across categories. Light and Medium Duty (LMD) trucks contributed 47,789 units, accounting for 46.1 per cent of total sales. Heavy Duty (HD) trucks recorded 26,867 units (25.9 pe..

Rodic Digital & Advisory partners SatSure to deploy EO intelligence in public sector

Rodic Digital & Advisory (RDA), the strategic advisory and digital transformation arm of Rodic Consultants, has signed a strategic cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SatSure to jointly pursue opportunities in India’s public sector. The collaboration aims to integrate high-resolution Earth Observation (EO) data and geospatial AI into government workflows to strengthen monitoring, compliance, and operational decision-making across key sectors.The partnership combines SatSure’s Earth intelligence capabilities with RDA’s expertise in government digital transformation and ..