Tripura is gradually becoming a connectivity hub, with various projects that have been in the works for a long time finally getting off the ground, according to state transport minister Pranajit Sinha Roy. Most of these projects, which will pass through Bangladesh, will shorten the time it takes to transport or receive goods from mainland India, allowing Tripura to become the country’s primary export hub, he said. “For a long time, Tripura, a landlocked state, was only connected to the rest of the country by a metre gauge rail line up to the capital city. After the NDA took control in 2014, the situation began to shift. “The entire rail network was changed to broad gauge and stretched all the way to Sabroom, the southernmost town adjoining Chittagong,” Roy explained.
The ‘Maitri Setu’, a 1.9 km-long bridge from Tripura to Bangladesh, has “further strengthened ties” between the neighbours. The bridge over river Feni will ease movement of goods and passengers between the two countries, besides providing new trade opportunities to the northeastern states, Roy stated. The Centre recently sanctioned funds to widen the part of the bridge from Ramgarh to Chittagong on the Bangladesh side.
