Tripura to be Connected via Waterways with Kolkata through Bangladesh: Sarbananda Sonowal

Agartala, Feb 12 (NationPress) Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal announced on Wednesday that the northeastern state of Tripura will be linked to Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, and Paradeep through the Bay of Bengal once the inland waterways connectivity with Bangladesh is initiated.

During a press conference at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state headquarters in Agartala, the Central Minister stated that significant progress has been made towards establishing international inland waterways connectivity with Bangladesh. His ministry has already constructed jetties on the Gomati River in Tripura and has plans to extend connectivity beyond Bangladesh once the routes become operational.

According to the Minister, this waterway connectivity will not limit India to just Bangladesh, allowing the northeastern states to connect with Kolkata, Paradeep, Visakhapatnam, and others.

"We aim to provide global connectivity to the northeastern region," he stated.

The Union Minister emphasized that Tripura is a resource-rich state capable of producing a variety of horticultural, agricultural, bamboo-based, and other products with potential for the global market. The waterways connectivity will enhance its ability to tap into this international market.

Sonowal remarked that Tripura has made significant strides in development over the past decade under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration. The state now ranks third in internet connectivity in India and is making its mark in the global market with agricultural products like jackfruit and pineapple.

He praised the numerous development initiatives introduced in the northeastern region and across India in the past ten years of the Modi government, stating that these policies have contributed to India becoming the fifth largest economy in the world.

Previously, in February last year, a new inland waterway terminal and a permanent jetty were established at Srimantapur in Tripura's Sepahijala district under the Indo-Bangla inland waterway protocol route connecting Sonamura in Tripura with Daudkandi in Bangladesh, nearly four years after the protocol route was initiated in 2020.

This project is part of a series of similar initiatives, including new terminals at Karimganj and Badarpur, and a passenger-cargo terminal at Bogibeel near Dibrugarh in Assam.

Inland waterways connectivity on a trial basis with Bangladesh began in Tripura in September 2020, featuring a floating jetty on the Gomati River, which, along with several other rivers, flows into Bangladesh from the northeastern state.

The jetty connecting Sonamura with Daudkandi was included in the list of Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) routes signed between the then High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das and Bangladesh Shipping Secretary Md. Mezbah Uddin Chowdhury in Dhaka in May 2020.

Officials stated that efforts are underway to improve the navigability of the rain-fed river, including plans for dredging the Gomati River's riverbed during winter to accommodate small ships and boats from Sonamura to Ashuganj River Port in Bangladesh, which is only 60 km away from Tripura.

Construction of the permanent jetty commenced last year alongside the new terminal. Tripura shares an 856 km border with Bangladesh, the second longest after West Bengal, which has a border of 2,216.7 km with the neighboring country.

Agartala is located 1,650 km from Kolkata by road, and 2,637 km from New Delhi, while the distance between Agartala and Kolkata through Bangladesh measures only 620 km.

The waterway distance from Kolkata's Haldia Port to Chattogram International Port is 400 km, and from Chattogram Seaport (in southeastern Bangladesh) to Akhaura ICP (near Agartala) is 200 km.