AGARTALA, September 13 (TIWN): The Tripura government has picked up a pace to get the proposed fresh waterways with Bangaldesh. Tripura had a water transport arrangement with erstwhile East Bengal (now Bangladesh) before 1947. But steady deposition of silt in many rivers of the state has made it difficult to make them navigable. The official of the state transport department said that to create three waterways between landlocked Tripura and Bangladesh, two major rivers of the state would be linked with the river Meghna of the neighboring country.

However, the official said, “We have already engaged the consultants to get the DPR prepared soon so that we could move fast with the project to the centre.” He also said that once the DPR is prepared state government would floor the budgetary proposal for the project with the centre.

The move has come up just after the Ministry of Water Transport and Shipping had asked the Tripura government to prepare the DPR prior flooring the budget with the Ministry.

The official said that the Inland Waterways Authority of India and the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority would be in charge of river transport after the project was implemented.

Earlier, RITES had conducted a survey for the new waterways and submitted the report to the ministry suggesting dredging of the two rivers and a required fund of Rs 47 crore for developing three waterways, he added. 

“The state government which was made the nodal agency for the project would carry out the initiative to make the water level of the River Gomati at par with the River Meghna in Bangladesh,” official said.

Tripura govt has mulled an ambitious plan to establish cross border inland water transport link with Bangladesh river port through the major river of Howarh and Gomati for transportation of goods in view of reviving the history once flourished the water transport between Tripura and Bangladesh.