India-Bangladesh inland waterway route to start from today: All you need to know
A trial run of an inland waterways protocol route between the two nations began on Thursday with a cargo vessel leaving for Sonamura port in Tripura from Munshiganj in the neighbouring country.
India and Bangladesh are set to operationalise a new riverine trade route on Saturday, when a Bangladeshi vessel will transport a cargo of cement to Tripura, as part of efforts to boost connectivity between the two countries.
A trial run of an inland waterways protocol route between the two nations began on Thursday with a cargo vessel leaving for Sonamura port in Tripura from Munshiganj in the neighbouring country.
Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb in a tweet on Thursday night said, “First Vessel with consignment started its trial run today from Munshiganj, Bangladesh for Sonamura port, Tripura.”
Here’s all about India-Bangladesh inland waterway route:
• The route connects Tripura with the National Waterways of India through Bangladesh. With the successful run, India-Bangladesh waterways will open up new avenues for economic development in both the countries where Tripura will play an important role.
• The boat-sized vessel with a consignment of cement set sail for Sonamura port in Sepahijala district of the northeastern state from Munshiganj on Thursday.
• Union minister for shipping Mansukh Mandaviya will welcome the vessel carrying 50 tonnes of cement from Daukandi in Bangladesh to Sonamura on Saturday through video conferencing from Delhi, officials said.
• The inland waterways protocol route would be made operational in the presence of the chief minister and chairman of the Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) Aditya Mishra, secretary of Tripura’s Industry and Commerce Department Kiran Gitte said.
• The 90-km long Sonamura-Daudkandi route, included in the list of Indo-Bangla protocol (IBP) routes in May this year, is expected to boost trade, Gitte had told reporters on Sunday.
• A floating jetty was set up on the Gomati river on July 4 as part of the Indo-Bangla international inland waterways connectivity project.
• A high-level team of officials of the Bangladesh shipping ministry had surveyed the riverine protocol route on August 12, Sonamura sub-divisional magistrate Subrata Majumder had said.
(With inputs from PTI)
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