India will soon ask Bangladesh for three new waterways with a view to facilitate the movement of goods and machinery between the two next-door neighbours.
“The proposed waterways between the north-eastern states of India and Bangladesh would boost trade and economy between the two countries,” a top central government official, not wishing to be identified, told a news agency, said a Zee news report.
The waterways would be rivers with developed navigation facilities for smooth movement of vessels.
The official said: “India had earlier informally proposed to Bangladesh about the new waterways. The formal proposal would be officially submitted before the Bangladesh government soon.”
The two countries having 2,979km of land border and 1,116km reverine boundary share 54 rivers, including eight flowing from Tripura.
Tripura Transport Department Secretary Kishore Ambuly said state-owned Rail India Technical and Economic Services (Rites) recently conducted a survey for the new waterways between Tripura and Bangladesh.
“The Rites has conducted the feasibility study to make new waterways between Tripura’s Gomti and Howrah rivers and Bangladesh’s Meghna and Titas rivers,” Ambuly told a news agency.
The Rites after an in-depth study has prepared a detailed project report and it was submitted before the
Union Ministry of Shipping through the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI).
A government enterprise under the aegis of railways ministry, the Rites has suggested a fund of Rs47 crore (Tk58.5 crore) for developing three waterways including navigation on the Gomti and Howrah rivers.
Tripura and other north-eastern states are surrounded by Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan and China on three sides and the only land route access to these states from within India is through Assam and West Bengal.
The lengthy route through Assam passes through hilly terrain with steep roads and multiple hairpin bends.
India has long been pressing Bangladesh for using its waterways and ports, especially for easy transport of Indian goods from Kolkata and other mainland cities to the north-eastern states through Bangladesh.