Bhupen Goswami
GUWAHATI : India and Bangladesh border is about 4096.7 km. Is long. It is noteworthy that India’s border with Bangladesh is more than any other neighboring country. It is known that India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers. A senior official of the North East Water Transport Authority said today in Guwahati that the river water transport connectivity before the partition in both countries has been restored. Recently, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority has approved the movement of cargo vessel between Tripura’s Sonamura port and Daudakandi port in Chittagong division of neighboring country. The authority approved it on 20 May this year and said that India would be inland water transport and trade between Bangladesh under the protocol. Ships from both countries will operate between ports on the prescribed route. This will boost bilateral trade.This will benefit the businessmen and increase the trust of the people of both countries. An official of the North East Water Transport Authority said that the waterway is the cheapest mode of transport and also reduces maintenance costs. The reopening of this waterway will prove to be a game changer. The official said that this would be a win-win deal for both India and Bangladesh.The 93-km long route from Sonamura to Daudkandi on the Gomti River will be the first protocol route to Tripura. The Tripura government has already prepared a temporary port with the help of the Ministry of Shipping, where loading of goods will be unloading. In the first week of September, 50 metric tonnes of cement from this water route will reach Sonamura from Dhaka as part of the trial run.The North East Water Transport Authority official said that it is known that the first trade agreement was signed between India and Bangladesh in 1972. The India-Bangladesh Trade Agreement was last renewed in June 2015 with a provision for automatic renewal for a period of 5 years. Bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh has steadily increased over the past decade. 3 bilateral development partnership projects have also been inaugurated. Import of LPG for use in India’s northeastern state of Tripura,he said.
