Agartala: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina virtually inaugurated Indo-Bangla Maitri Setu built over the Feni river, which flows between the Indian boundary in Tripura and Bangladesh on Tuesday.
The bridge connecting Tripura’s Sabrooom with Bangladesh Ramgarh was inaugurated with a pledge to develop this region as a trade corridor for entire South-East Asia.
Read: PM Modi to inaugurate 'Maitri Setu' between India and Bangladesh today
The construction of the 1.9 Km long bridge was taken up by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd in India at a project cost of Rs 133 crore.
The inauguration was done on the third anniversary of Tripura’s BJP-IPFT government that assumed office on March 09, 2018.
Speaking on the occasion, both the Prime Minister heavily stressed the longstanding camaraderie between the neighbouring countries and assured all possible assistance for the socio-economic growth of the region.
Prime Minister Modi also inaugurated several other projects and laid the foundation stones for some of the new projects.
Addressing the function, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Tripura is fast emerging as a connectivity hub for the North-Eastern region and with the Maitri Setu inauguration Agartala has become the closest India city with any international port. During my visit to Bangladesh, both Sheikh Hasina and I laid the foundation stone of the Maitri Setu that was being inaugurated today. This bridge connecting Sabroom with Ramgarh will further boost the other connectivity ties such as land, water and rail between the two-nation”.
PM also observed that this bridge would not only bring prosperity for Tripura but also connect Mizoram, Manipur and South Assam to explore trade avenues in South East Asian markets. “The neighboring region that includes South Assam, Mizoram and Manipur will also get the benefit out of it. Not only that, Sabroom will become a centre for international trade. The supply to the North East will not remain wholly dependent on road connectivity and to further felicitate the region, we are trying to find an alternative water route to connect this region”, said the Prime Minister.
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Moving on to the ICP, he said, in Sabroom an ICP would be soon made operational which would work as a full-fledged logistic hub having all the necessary facilities. “With the expansion of roads, the cross border trade through Maitru Setu would be facilitated and Tripura farmers will have access to various international markets for their crops”, he hoped.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina turned nostalgic and recalled how India opened its borders for the people of Bangladesh in order to wage support for the liberation war. “Political boundaries must not act as a barrier for the trade-in this world. The North East which is once considered to be the landlocked region of India now is freed from this status. With this Maitri Setu, the overall economic development of both nations will take place. Earlier, the closest port of Agartala was Kolkata which is one thousand and six kilometres away from Agartala but now with Agartala getting access to Chittagong port in Bangladesh the distance dipped to less than a hundred kilometres”, said the Bangladesh Prime Minister.
“We have not forgotten, how India opened its boundaries for us during the liberation war in 1971. We hope with the inauguration of Maitri Setu, the social and economic development of both the countries will touch new heights of success”, she added.
The Bangladesh Prime Minister also informed Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb that the state would be allowed to use Chittagong Airport.
Apart from that, Prime Minister Modi laid emphasis on the development activities being carried out by the Tripura government and congratulated the people on the third anniversary of the BJP-IPFT alliance government in the state. “Three years ago, people ousted a negative power from the state to welcome development and the double engine of growth came into existence in the state. This government has achieved commendable success in its tenure of work. The shackles that have once gripped Tripura’s growth are no more active in the state.”
Prime Minister said adding that the state is emerging as a role model among the big states that don't have double-engine governments.
In a brief Kokborok speech, the Prime Minister also paid tributes to Padma awardees Beni Chandra Jamatia and Thanga Darlong and said that this government was indebted to protect the literature, culture and heritage of the Janajati people.
Among the notable projects that had been inaugurated on the occasion included Integrated Command and Control Centre, refurbished Agartala-Udaipur NH 8, 40,000 urban houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, and some of the state PWD roads.
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The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of Integrated Check post in Sabroom, Kailashara-Khowai National Highway 208, Multi-level car parking, Upgradation and widening of Airport road connecting Tripura.
Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, MP Partima Bhowmik, MP Rebati Tripura and other members of the state cabinet attended the programme from Swami Vivekananda Stadium gathering where the central function was organized.
