Giving a boost to India-Bangladesh bilateral relations, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) has permitted ferrying of goods vessels by waterway between the Sonamura port in Tripura and Daudkand under Cumilla in the neighbouring nation.
The route is being operationalised under an agreement signed by the two sides on May 20 to boost riverine trade by adding two new routes and five more ports in order to improve connectivity to India’s north-eastern states and reduce transportation costs.
Inland vessels of both the countries can move on the designated protocol route and dock at Ports of Call in each country, for unloading or loading of cargo under this Protocol.
The step will greatly facilitate the bilateral trade, with cost-effectiveness for the business community and improved reliability among the people of both the countries.
“Waterways is the cheapest mode of transportation with minimal maintenance cost and thus the new riverine movement of cargo vessels under the Protocol route will be a game-changer carrying both the transit cargo to North East region of India and vice-versa and export-cargo to Bangladesh,” said Abdul Matlub Ahmad, a leading business leader and president, India Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Bangladesh.
According to Ahmad, the business fraternity of Bangladesh and India welcomed the move between the nations toward improving connectivity with neighbours.
“It will be win-win for both Bangladesh and India, export from Bangladesh to Tripura, which already is several hundred times more through this region of northeast India will further increase as transportation cost will further reduce and thus it may attract investment to Tripura. On the contrary various states of the region including Tripura shall also be benefitted as shall be able to transport products to other parts of India or the globe using this waterway,” he said.
The 93-kilometre long Sonamura-Daudkandi route through the stretch of the Gumati river is Tripura’s first protocol route. Already the Tripura government with the help of the Ministry of Shipping has set up a temporary jetty at Sonamura, which is very close to the border.
Tushar Kanti Chakraborty, President, All Tripura Merchant Association welcomed the decision of opening of waterways between Tripura and Bangladesh, and viewed that in Princely rule, Tripura had connectivity through four of its major river with erstwhile East Bengal and now again the state is going to restart connectivity through one of its river.
“This river connectivity will be a welcome move from the business community of both nations. We believe that the stronger is our business, the stronger will be the relation between the two nations. Bangladesh products will be cheaper to some extent as transportation cost will come down and India’s northeastern states can also export or bring raw materials for industries using this mode of communication, which will be comparatively cheaper and less troublesome than sending them through the existing serpentine mountainous routes,” said Chakraborty.
“Tripura will be greatly beneficial out of it as it will pour in investment for industrialisation and a lot of employment shall be created turning the once disadvantageous landlocked position with foreign border on three sides into an advantage,” he added.
The waterway route is set to further improve the connectivity of Tripura and its adjoining states with economic centres of Bangladesh’s, which will give both countries hinterland a boost by opening up more opportunities in trade and is an example of how through mutual cooperation two nations can be in a win-win position.
India and Bangladesh signed the Protocol for Inland Water Trade and Transit in 1972 for inland waterways connectivity between the two sides for bilateral trade and to improve connectivity to India’s north-eastern states. The protocol was expanded with the signing of a second addendum on May 20 that added two new routes and five ports of call to takes the total number of routes to 10 and ports of call to 11.