The transit and transhipment of cargo between Northeast India and Bangladesh via the port of Chittagong will begin soon, said neighboring Shipping Minister Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, who spoke here Wednesday. Tripura will become the "Gateway of the North East," with access to the port of Chittagong in Bangladesh, which is just 70 kilometers from Sabroom in the northeastern state, he said.

"We are ready to begin the transit and transhipment of goods between Bangladesh and the northeastern region of India via Chittagong." Trial runs have been completed and all immigration and customs formalities on the Bangladesh side have also been completed," Chowdhury said.

The National Board of Revenue will issue the Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) required for freight transport from Bangladesh to India.

"However, this is awaited for the time being," said the minister, who is in the city for a program.

The immigration office from the Indian side is almost ready and Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha recently inspected the Sabroom site.

On March 9, 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina jointly opened the 1.9-kilometer-long Maitree Setu, the "friendship bridge" across the Feni River that connects Sabroom with Bangladesh. This will make it easier to transport passengers and goods from the port of Chittagong.

Chowdhury believes that once the bridge is operational, it will help Bangladesh's trade with Nepal and Bhutan. According to the Minister of Bangladesh, the Japanese government is also developing a new deep-sea port at Matarbari in Cox's Bazar near the port of Chittagong, which will be ready in 2027.

This would also help transport goods from Bangladesh to Tripura. The relationship between Japan, Bangladesh and India is cordial and a major investment is expected after the completion of the matarbari port, which will help in the development of Bangladesh and the northeastern region of India, he added.

Chowdhury stated that the governments of India and Bangladesh will work together to revive the port of Ashuganj on the Meghna River, about 50 kilometers from Tripura's capital Agartala.

Chowdhury believes that once the bridge is operational, it will help Bangladesh's trade with Nepal and Bhutan.

"We recently purchased land for the development of the port. For the development of infrastructure such as the construction of scaffolding and other works, the Indian government has agreed to issue Rs 400 crore and after the money is released, large-scale works would be started," he said.