Daily Times

The people of Tripura and Bangladesh have shared their troubles and success since the beginning of civilisation. An 856-kilometre-long porous border makes up 85 per cent of Tripura’s border with Bangladesh.

One of the most well-known connecting projects between India and Bangladesh is the Agartala-Akahura international railway. Earlier, Akhaura served as Agartala’s rail connection. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between India and Bangladesh in 2013 to reopen the railway connection. The Agartala-Akhaura international railway connectivity project is about 88 per cent finished, and the remaining work is anticipated to be finished in the following five to six months. An international immigration station would be located in Nischintapur at the India-Bangladesh border on the 15-kilometre-long railway line connecting Bangladesh’s Akhaura. The project’s completion will shorten the distance between Agartala and Kolkata via Dhaka from 31 hours to 10 hours. When complete, it will travel for a distance of 5.46 kilometres from Nischintapur, India, to the Agartala railway station in India, and a distance of 10.6 kilometres from Gangasagar, Bangladesh, to that same location. The scope of business contacts would increase with the completion of the Agartala-Akhaura railway route. At Nischintapur, which acts as the Tripura junction for the Agartala-Akhaura train route, India also plans to construct an integrated checkpoint and freight processing facility. This train connection would reduce the distance between Agartala and Kolkata travel time in half by using Dhaka as its hub instead of Guwahati. The current 31-hour trip from Agartala to Kolkata will only take 10 hours because it would only travel 550 kilometres instead of 1,600. India and Bangladesh currently have four active train links between West Bengal and Western Bangladesh: Petrapole-Benapole, Gede-Darshana, Radhikapur-Biral, and Singhabad-Rohanpur. The final two also influence how Nepali transit traffic is used. Both those from 150-kilometre-distance Mizoram and those from Agartala will profit from the current line.

Other Initiatives

Tripura has a few other international connectivity initiatives connecting it to Bangladesh in addition to the Agartala-Akhaura railway line, like the Indo-Bangla Maitri Bridge in South Tripura and the inland waterways transport project in the Sepahijala district. In Tripura, at Sabroom, an additional Integrated Check Post (ICP) with Bangladesh is being built. Tripura is anticipated to have access to Bangladesh’s Chittagong and Mongla ports after all the projects are completed, creating new opportunities for trade and business.

There are numerous current infrastructural projects linking Tripura and Bangladesh. Opening Maitri Setu across the Feni River was one of the significant initiatives between Tripura and Bangladesh. Tripura would become the gateway to Southeast Asia if the Maitri Bridge connects Ramgarh in Bangladesh with Sabroom in India. This bridge is only 74 kilometres away from Chittagong Port. When completed, the Agartala-Akhaura train line and the Feni bridge connecting Sabroom, Tripura, with Chittagong, Bangladesh, would turn Tripura from a “landlocked” state into one that is well-connected. By constructing highways that connect it to Thailand, Myanmar, and India, Tripura will be able to strengthen its links and relationships in this way.

The Maharaja Bir Bikram airport in Tripura will become the third international airport in the landlocked region’s northeast when its new terminal is finished this year. Flights will operate between Agartala and Dhaka as well as other locations like Chittagong and Sylhet after this airport is completed. In order to strengthen the connection between Bangladesh’s northeastern districts, Pranay Verma, the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka, has recently expressed interest in investing in new airports there. Travel by air will strengthen ties between India and the ASEAN countries as well as between Bangladesh, the Indian subcontinent, and Tripura.

Additionally, Tripura will house the nation’s first solar power storage facility for the region’s northeast. Plans are being developed to export pollution-free, ecologically beneficial electricity from this storage to Bangladesh in addition to satisfying the demands of the state. This was said during a press conference held by Tripura’s Minister of Power, Ratan Lal Nath, on April 1, 2023, in the evening. The state government initially chose the South District’s Sabrum neighbourhood. because this area is being developed as a special economic zone. By supplying the region’s demands, it will be possible to export the excess electricity to Bangladesh.

Tripura might be a trustworthy and valuable partner for Bangladesh in its own interests. There is a significant cultural affinity that will undoubtedly enhance social and academic interactions with Bangladesh. Now, it serves the interests of both nations to maintain Tripura’s leadership in the India-Bangladesh relationship. After these initiatives are finished, the aspirations of individuals in Tripura to establish commercial ties with Bangladesh would be strengthened. A new route for public and goods transportation will be built, and Tripura will gain an important position in terms of trade and commerce. Job possibilities will also be established for young people who are unemployed.

The writer is a PhD fellow at the University of Bucharest.