Indo-Bangla trade through Sultanganj port to open tomorrow
The first trial movement of vessels between Maia port in West Bengal and Sultanganj port in Rajshahi is set to take place tomorrow.
The first cargo vessels carrying stones will be flagged off by India's Minister of State for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Shantanu Thakur from Maia inland customs port tomorrow morning, reports our New Delhi correspondent.
When operational, this route will transport around 2.6 million tonnes of cargo annually and lessen the pressure on road transportation, according to a statement released today from the Indian side.
On Saturday, BIWTA officials announced that the Sultanganj river port will be inaugurated today in Rajshahi's Godagari upazila to strengthen trade and economic ties between Bangladesh and India.
Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, the state minister for shipping, is likely to inaugurate the much-needed river port in the presence of Pranay Verma, the Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka, said Joynal Abedin, director for marine safety and traffic management at Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority.
The waterway route from Maia to Dhubri in Assam via Aricha in Bangladesh will reduce the distance by around 930km compared to the existing route from Dhulian-Maia-Kolkata-Dhubri.
The riverine distance between Maia port and Sultanganj port is 16km, out of which 4.5km of waterways are in India and the remaining 11.5km are in Bangladesh.
"This development is in line with the Act East Policy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government," said the statement, adding that it will also boost trade and connectivity between Bangladesh and India.
It was during Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's state visit to India from September 5-8 in 2022 at the invitation of Modi that Bangladesh and India agreed to expeditiously explore direct shipping links between the two countries.
They had also agreed to implement the decision to start riverine services under the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT) routes 5 and 6 (Dhulian in West Bengal to Rajshahi-extension to Aricha) and 9 and 10 (Daudkandi to Sonamura).
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