SABROOM, Dec 21 (TIWN): “Tripura will have a gateway to the world once Feni bridge connecting both sides of the international border is constructed, said Chief Minister Manik Sarkar while speaking at a programme- Linking Prospective Food Entrepreneurs with Government Scheme and Markets at Prajna Bhavan on 19th December. CM Manik Sarkar has again chewed the same cud.Earlier CM Manik Sarkar before Municipality Election while addressing a mass gathering at Sabroom he assured that the construction of the proposed Bridge on the River Feni will definitely be done despite it incurs a huge amount of Rs.110 crore in case the central government refuses the amount, the state government itself will pay it . “Sabroom will be the gateway of South Asia as it is only 72 KM from Chittagong Port “ - Said Manik. The same he uttered into 2010 just before the Nagar Panchayat Election. Infrastructure will be provided by the Left guided state government.The Tripura government’s decision to construct a four-lane bridge over Feni river in Sabroom subdivision, which will reduce the distance between the state and Chittagong port, is stuck in bureaucratic delays. Till decks for the bridge are cleared, there is no hope for improvement of the arterial National Highway 44 which cuts through the state.

 Officials of the road transport ministry have made it clear that there is not enough traffic to widen the road unless this bridge comes in place.Currently, the land custom station at Sabroom is not operational because there are no traders.

Though State government decided to construct a four-lane bridge over the Feni, the project has not, however, started till now. National Highway 44 is also the only national highway that links Agartala with rest of the Northeast. The bridge will be 150 metres long and will be constructed at a cost of Rs 73 crore. Tripura has been lobbying for the bridge since 2005.

Though the Chittagong port is merely 72km from the state’s border, it remains inaccessible leaving the state landlocked. Currently, the department of industrial policy and promotion under the commerce ministry is also not pursuing the project yet. The government had announced that the project would take off soon. However, till now, there are no signs of construction on ground. The highway currently has two lanes. The state government wants it to be widened. Two lanes are enough for the next 20 years. But if the bridge is constructed there will be heavy traffic and it need to widen the highway in advance.

The ministry of road transport and highways has also told the state government to strengthen its public works department. Since it is a border state, currently most of the road projects by default are done by the Border Roads Organization. The public works department is the default agency to maintain and construct roads. In Tripura the agency is not well-equipped and mostly engaged with corruption.

Earlier the then Industry Minister Jiten Choudhury tried his best to approach Bangladesh PM Hasina and Central government over this issue successfully. But after him neither Tapan neither Manik even able to finalize tender process.