IWAI team to visit Tripura on December 26

A high-level team of the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) would visit Tripura on December 26 to conduct a survey and decide on the location for a jetty for a new waterway connecting India and Bangladesh, the state government said Wednesday.

The new Indo-Bangla waterway has been proposed between Ashuganj river port in eastern Bangladesh and Sonamura in Sipahijala district of Tripura through rivers Gomati and Meghna.

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb met Union Minister Nitin Gadkari at New Delhi on the issue on Tuesday.

"It was decided that a high ranking team from IWAI would visit Tripura on 26th and 27th December, 2018 and decide on the location of the jetty/finalize the location of land for the project of inland waters in Gomati river from Tripura to Bangladesh," a government statement said.

Sources in the Chief Ministers Office (CMO) said, Sonamura, which is about 60 km from here, was initially chosen as the location for the jetty and a preliminary survey was also conducted by the state government.

However, it was up to the IWAI officials to decide, they said.

Last month, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb had said a new waterway would come up within six months for movement of container ships between Sonamura and Ashuganj river port.

Once it was completed, goods to the state would directly reach Sonamura town from Bangladesh easily, Deb had told reporters.

The central government would soon start dredging Gomati river on the Indian side for the new waterway to connect Ashuganj port on Meghna river covering about 60 km, he said.

The secretary to the department of shipping of the central government had recently visited the state and inspected the sites. The official had told the state government that dredging of Gomati river and construction of a small river port would be completed in less than six months.

Tripura shares a 856 km border with Bangladesh. Kolkata is 645 km by road via Assam from here and if the new waterway is built, it would ease transportation of goods and the distance would be reduced to half.

Indo-Bangla connectivity would also considerably ease connectivity in the route.