Agartala, March 31(TIWN): Another 10,000 MT of rice started arriving from Kolkata via Bangladesh from Tuesday. Talking to TIWN, Secretary of the import-export association, Habul Biswas told that today morning 10-12 trucks carrying 170 tones of rice arrived at Akhaura Check Post. The trucks were further unloaded in the godown of Food Corporation of India.

Earlier, Food Corporation of India (FCI) decided to ferry another 10, 000 metric ton of rice to Tripura via Bangladesh, as the train services in the northeastern states have been stopped in southern part of northeast region due to gauge conversion. A meeting was held on Monday for supplying the rice to Tripura, which will reach here through Bangladesh Ashuganj port. Tripura government has urged the central government to carry rice for the state regularly via Bangladesh till the railway's gauge conversion works are completed.

The monsoon starts in June and it continue up to September creating a gigantic problem in ferrying food grains, essentials and other goods from other parts of India to northeast via mountainous roads, as the areas are very landslide prone and jagged condition.

The FCI had also decided to carry a total of 35,000 tones of rice in different phases for Tripura via Bangladesh by next year. While following diplomatic parleys, the Bangladesh government agreed to transport food grains for Tripura across its territory without charging any duty under a special transit facility. It is to be mentioned here that the first consignment of rice form Kakinada port in Andhra Pradesh via Bangladesh Ashuganj river port reached Akhaura check post on August 7, 2014 and this was for the first time Bangladeshi trucks transported rice from Ashuganj port into Agartala’s warehouses. Earlier in 2012, Bangladesh had allowed state owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation to ferry heavy machinery, turbines and over dimensional cargoes through Ashuganj port for the 726 MW Palatana mega power project in southern Tripura.

The Indian government had spent several millions of rupees to develop the Ashuganj port and related infrastructure. After Tripura, it is likely that food grains will be ferried in a similar way to other northeastern states, the FCI official said. The transportation via Bangladesh is much easier as road connectivity is a big factor for the mountainous northeastern states which share boundaries with Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan and China. There is only a narrow land corridor to the northeastern region from India through Assam and West Bengal but this route passes through hilly terrain with steep gradients and multiple hairpin bends, making plying of vehicles, especially loaded trucks, very difficult. For instance, Agartala via Guwahati is 1,650 km from Kolkata by road and 2,637 km from New Delhi, while the distance between Agartala and Kolkata via Bangladesh is just about 620 km.