The Indian Railways is constructing the world's tallest bridge pier in Manipur which is a part of 111 km long Jiribam-Imphal railway project, reported ANI. The ambitious project in Manipur is part of the 111 km long Jiribam-Imphal railway line to connect the capital of Manipur with the broad gauge network of the country.  The bridge, which is being built at a pier height of 141 metres, will surpass the existing record of 139 meter of Mala - Rijeka viaduct, Montenegro in Europe. Also read: India unveils world's tallest statue "With the completion of the project, the 111 km of distance will be covered in 2-2.5 hours. Presently, the distance between Jiribam-Imphal (NH-37) is 220 km, which took about 10-12 hours of travelling. After the construction, the bridge crossing Noney valley will become the world's highest pier bridge," Sandeep Sharma, Chief Engineer of the project told ANI. He further said that the work on the bridge will be completed by December 2023. "The first phase which extends for 12 km has already been commissioned. nearly 98 per cent of the work is complete on the second phase and by February 2022, it will be ready. The third phase from Khongsang to Tupul will be completed by November 2022. The fourth and the last phase of the bridge which extends from Tupul to Imphal valley, will be completed by December 2023," he said. The official also informed that the 111 km project consists of 61 per cent of tunnels. According to the Chief Engineer, the total anticipated cost of the bridge is Rs 374 crore. Also read: World's tallest empty hotel lit up with N. Korean propaganda Speaking about the hurdles that are being faced in the construction of the bridge, Sharma said, "Landslides often occur on NH-37 during monsoon, which is the only route to this place. From April to October, there is immense rainfall here. During that time, it is difficult to work here. There are also some problems related to insurgency, which creates a problem sometimes."

Indian Railways’ fifteenth Oxygen Express arrived in Bangladesh carrying 200 MT of liquid medical oxygen on Wednesday. The special train set out from India through the Petrapole port carrying 10 containers of liquid oxygen and reached Bangladesh in the afternoon, said Benapole immigration authority. After customs formalities the train set out for Sirajganj west side of Bangabandhu Railway Bridge where the container will be unloaded, said Saiduzzaman, Benapole Railway station master. Benapole port Deputy Director A. Jalil said the oxygen crisis in India’s medical sector began in April when the country’s Covid situation got critical. As a result on 21 April the Indian government stopped exporting oxygen to Bangladesh. Read: India's fourth Oxygen Express arrives with 200 MT of medical oxygen Later, as the infection and death rate in their country decreased, they allowed the export of oxygen to Bangladesh from June 21. So far, in 15 consignments, the importer company Linde Bangladesh has brought in 3,017 MT of liquid oxygen, port authorities said. Bangladesh is the first foreign country where the Oxygen Express has been put into operation to deliver the life-saving gas amid rising Covid infections.

After nearly 56 years, commercial services on the restored Haldibari-Chilahati railway corridor between India and Bangladesh will resume Sunday. The revamped railway corridor was inaugurated by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on December 17 last year. Read: 3 more haats to be set up along Bangladesh-India border: Tipu A freight train will make the journey to Bangladesh from the eastern Indian state of West Bengal on the restored 12km corridor, the Indian Railways announced Saturday. "The first goods train to Bangladesh through the re-opened Haldibari-Chilahati rail link is being loaded with stone chips at Damdim station of Alipurduar Division, NFR. The train is scheduled to reach Chilahati (Bangladesh) on 01.08.2021," the Northeast Frontier Railway tweeted. Read: Jaishankar arrives Thursday to deepen Bangladesh-India ties The railway corridor had been lying defunct since 1965 after train links between India and then East Pakistan snapped. And once in operation, the corridor will boost bilateral trade between the two countries. While the distance between India's Haldibari Railway Station and the international border is 4.5 km, it's another 7.5 km on the Bangladesh side from the 'zero point'.

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das has met Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen at his office and discussed issues of mutual interest. 

The Indian Railways will gradually resume operations from Tuesday as the country eases its coronavirus lockdown.