Sonowal opens trade centre along India-Bhutan border

In a bid to strengthen bilateral trade between Assam and Bhutan, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday inaugurated Indo-Bhutan Border Trade Centre at Darranga in Tamulpur of Baksa district.

With the inauguration of this centre, the volume of trade between Assam and Bhutan, which has been going on since centuries, is expected to reach new heights.

Sonowal termed the day as a red letter day and said that inauguration of the trade centre will lead to strengthening of India-Bhutan relations.

Stating that the inauguration of the trade centre is a spontaneous response of the people of Assam, especially those residing in Baksa, Udalguri, Chirang and Kokrajhar districts, to the prevailing peaceful situation in the state, the Chief Minister said that the centre is a result of cooperation of the people of the four districts extended to the state government.

Sonowal said for the development of state, especially the BTAD (Bodoland Territorial Area Districts), 264 km of border roads touching four BTAD of the state would be constructed.

He also expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for unleashing a new era of development in the Northeast by enunciating Act East Policy, with which he vowed to strengthen bilateral relation of India with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal) countries.

The Chief Minister also thanked both Bhutan and Bangladesh for opening their consulates at Guwahati which has given renewed thrust to the relations with the countries neighbouring Assam.

Sonowal said that newly introduced Druk Air flight connecting Paro-Guwahati-Singapore would take India's relation with ASEAN countries to new heights.

He said that the state government, with the support of the Central government, would revive the Rupsi Airport in Dhubri, work for which would start from next month.

--IANS

ah/nir