Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the ‘Maitri Setu’ between India and Bangladesh on Tuesday along with other infrastructural projects in Tripura.
While inaugurating the bridge virtually, PM Modi said, “The connectivity between Bangladesh and India will prove to be very important for the northeast region and for India and Bangladesh trade as well. This is a new trade corridor between India and Bangladesh.”
‘Maitri Setu’, which spans 1.9 kilometres joining Sabroom in India with Ramgarh in Bangladesh, has been built over the Feni river which flows between the Indian boundary in Tripura and Bangladesh. The name of the bridge symbolises the growing bilateral relations and friendly ties between India and Bangladesh. The construction of the bridge has been overseen by National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd, reports Hindustan Times.
“The bridge is poised to herald a new chapter for trade and people to people movement between India and Bangladesh. With this inauguration, Tripura is set to become the ‘Gateway of North East’ with access to Chittagong Port of Bangladesh, which is just 80 km from Sabroom,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in the statement.
Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina also addressed the event and congratulated both the countries for the inauguration of the bridge. “This is a historic moment as we are creating a new era in South Asia by providing connectivity to India. Political boundaries should not become physical barriers to trade,” Hasina said.
Prime Minister Modi also laid the foundation stone for setting up an integrated check post at Sabroom which will help in easing the movement of goods and passengers between India and Bangladesh. The project has an estimated cost of about ₹232 crore, according to PMO’s statement.
Talking about the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) government in the state of Tripura, PM Modi said, “This is the result of a double engine government, BJP at the Centre and BJP in Tripura. Today, Tripura is witnessing progress as there is no commission or corruption at different levels of the government. Tripura has moved past its ‘hartaal culture’ and now has ease of doing business.”
PM Modi also laid the foundation stone of H-208 connecting the Unakoti district headquarters at Kailashahar with the Khowai district headquarters, state highways and other district roads with a financial outlay of ₹63.75 crore, 40,978 houses constructed under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) and multi-level car parking and commercial complex at Old motor stand.
