भारत को मिला बांग्लादेश के मोंगला बंदरगाह का टर्मिनल: चीन भी कर रहा था कोशिश; यह इस साल भारत की तीसरी बंदरगाह डील

The Mongla port deal is being seen as an attempt to counter China in the Indian Ocean.

India has achieved a major victory amid China’s growing influence in the Indian Ocean. According to the South China Morning Post, India has struck a deal with Bangladesh for the operation of the Mongla port terminal. This deal was finalized at a time when Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited India last month.

This deal of India is being seen as an attempt to counter China in the Indian Ocean. China was also keeping an eye on this port. Mongla port is the second largest port of Bangladesh after Chittagong port. This will be the third foreign port, whose operation will be the responsibility of India.

Earlier this year, India has signed a deal for Swatte port with Myanmar and Chabahar port with Iran. Details related to the Mongla port deal are yet to be revealed. According to media reports, this terminal will be operated by India Ports Global Limited (IPGL).

Why is the Mongla port deal special
The Mongla port deal is important for India in terms of connectivity. This port will help India to increase connectivity to the north-eastern states. This will reduce the pressure on the Chicken Neck or Siliguri Corridor.

Apart from this, this port is also very important to counter China. To increase its influence in the Indian Ocean, China is building a port in Djibouti with the help of 652 crores and Gwadar in Pakistan with the help of 1.3 lakh crores.

The picture is of Mongla Port in Bangladesh

India lags behind China in global container traffic
There is not a single Indian port in the top 10 ports in terms of container traffic. Whereas, there are 6 Chinese ports in the top 10. According to Uday Bhaskar, director of Delhi-based think tank Society for Policy and former naval officer, the operation of Mongla port is a good opportunity to showcase India’s port operation capabilities in the Indian Ocean.

According to the former official, India is considered to be lagging behind in the field of port operations globally. According to Bhaskar, operating ports abroad helps in increasing the maritime capacity of a country. China has so far invested in more than 100 ports in more than 63 countries.

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