AGARTALA, Sep 21 (TIWN): CPI-M Govt funded, FICCI arranged ‘Connect North East Investment’ summit lacked CMs of all NE States, neither any Union Ministers as Manik Sarkar wanted to sell his ‘industry-friendly’ image to outside Tripura without actually establishing any Information Technology (IT) or Industries in Tripura. A famous proverb is applicable to Manik Sarkar and his lameduck Cabinet Ministers "Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions". Its a shame that Tripura CM Manik Sarkar and his lameduck IT& Industry Minister Tapan Chakraborty failed to understand the importance of establishing IT Industry in Tripura after Modi Govt's generous decision to establish India's 3rd Internet Gateway at Agartala to boost up Internet connectivity over whole North East India. India-Bangladesh surplus under-sea internet bandwidth (10 Gbps) sale agreement was signed during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic June 2015 visit to Dhaka in presence of Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina. Internet service has severly disrupted in Tripura in last few weeks.

Internet services in Tripura have improved as 3rd Internet Gateway is established at Agartala, but IT minister Tapan Chakraborty is least bothered to take any initiatives to invite IT, Industry investments in state.

India and Bangladesh signed pact on sharing Internet bandwidth as a result of which the submarine cable providing Net to Bangladesh will travel to Agartala from Cox's Bazar via Brahmanbaria. At present Bangladesh is connected to SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable with 200gbps bandwidth, of which it uses only 30gbps.

The country is linked to the second submarine cable -- SEA-ME-WE-5 – under a consortium in December last year. As a result it will get an additional 1.30 gbps bandwidth.

Bangladesh has agreed to sell off its unused submarine Internet bandwidth to India's state owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) for $ 1.2 million (Rs 7.7 crores) a year.

In April 2015,  the union cabinet approved the draft agreement claiming the export would not affect internet services in Bangladesh.

As per the agreement, Bangladesh will lease out 10gbps (gigabyte per second) bandwidth on a commercial basis. From this, the country will earn $1.2 million a year.

The agreement will be effective for three years.

However Tripura Chief Minister and his Industry Minister Tapan Chakraborty are unfit to hold the important posts as many of these summits will benefit the CPI-M cadres as  rather than actual Industry or Investments.