The long-awaited Bangladesh-India friendship bridge known as Maitri Setu will go into operation by September.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the Maitri Setu on March 9, 2021.
The bridge was built over the Feni River which flows between Bangladesh and the Indian boundary in Tripura state.
The 1.9-km-long bridge connects Ramgarh in Bangladesh with Sabroom in India.
"The Maitri Setu has already been inaugurated. The land port is almost ready... The movement of passengers through the bridge will commence in September. It will take two or three months to introduce goods movement after passenger movement gets underway," Tripura Industries and Commerce Department Secretary Kiran Gitte said at a press conference on Friday.
Indian President: Dhaka, Delhi connectivity improved with Maitri Setu on Feni RiverGoods movement through the bridge is seen as strategically important not only for the state but also for the entire northeast as Chittagong port of Bangladesh is just 80km from Tripura's Sabroom.
Gitte said Kamalasagar border haat in Tripura's Sepahijala district, which was closed down due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will be reopening shortly. At present, Srinagar border haat, located in South Tripura district, is operational.
Saying that setting up industrial estates along the national highways is the top priority of the government, Gitte said national highways have developed a lot during the past few years.
"If trade and business do not gain momentum, the objective of a facelift of national highways will be in vain. Therefore, we are laying stress on setting up industrial estates along national highways to assist the existing industrial estates," he said.
