AGARTALA, July 9 (TIWN): The South District of the land-locked Tripura soon to become an international hub representing the entire North Eastern region in favour of India to fill up the huge trade-imbalance between these two countries. India is all set to use the Tripura land as a corridor of trade with the neighbouring country Bangladesh. Agartala-Sabroom rail line, the double lane road up to Sabroom and the bridge over River Feni is all set to bring another boon for the land-locked Tripura with its bi-lateral relation to be further strengthened. India begins work on bridge linking Bangladesh ports from northeast Tripura and has started the preliminary work, including making Detailed Project Report, to build a bridge over Feni river in Tripura to access Bangladeshi ports to carry goods and heavy machineries for the northeast region, an official said. The construction of the two-lane bridge over the river Feni would get the Direct Project Report (DPR) by 2 months. The bridge from Tripura Sabroom would connect Bangladesh Chatokil Ananda Para. Once the bridge is constructed the National Highway of Tripura would be connected with it, said the official. Govt. of India is likely to share the fund or else the state government would have to look after the entire funding system.

The land survey report had already been placed with the concerned ministries which approved the project work. 

India will construct a bridge over Feni River in southern Tripura to get access to the Chittagong international sea port in Bangladesh for carrying goods and heavy machineries for the land-locked north eastern region.

The official of the state PWD Department said that after preparing the DPR within two months, it would be submitted to Tripura's industries and commerce department, which is a nodal department for the project.

It is some 70 km from Bangladesh Chattagram sea port to Sabroom, South District of Tripura whereas another alternate road from Sabroom via Ramgarh stretches at some 35 Km using which the goods loaded trucks from Bangladesh sea port would reach Ramgarh.

Besides, the truck carrying goods and materials from Bangladesh can also easily access the proposed bridge over River Feni to reach here at Sabroom Ananda Para.

However, once Agartala – Sabroom gets the proposed double lane road trucks and other lorries could easily make an entrance in to Tripura’s capital. The double lane road from Agartala to Sabroom and the rail line linking Sabroom with the capital city is also expected to bring a development to the infrastructure of roads and transportation of Tripura.   

India's Northeast Frontier Railway has started work to extend its network up to Tripura's southernmost border town Sabroom and the Bangladeshi border town and railway station in Akhaura, just six km west of the Agartala railway station.

Transportation via Bangladesh is much easier, as road connectivity is a major issue for the mountainous north-eastern states which share boundaries with Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan and China.

With all these and with the joint venture of the central government and Tripura Left front government the land-locked state of the northeastern region is all set to soon become the international hub for trade and business using the main land of the Bangladesh.

The bridge over the River Feni is expected to be completed by 2018 whereas the proposed rail link from Agartala to Sabroom is expected to be completed by 2017.

However the agreements between the Govt, of India and his Bangladesh counterpart will help greatly to reduce not only the time in shipping goods but also costs, besides making optimum use of the ports, inland waterways and roads.