Tripura on Saturday created a history as barge carrying 50 ton of cement reached Sonamura in Sepahijala district from Daundkandi in Bangladesh.
Union Minister for Shipping, Mansukh Mandaviya welcomed the barge through video conferencing from New Delhi.
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and Chairman of the Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI), Aditya Mishra were present at Sonamura on Saturday to welcome the barge.
This is the beginning of opening up of Tripura’s waterways to connect with Bangladesh. The 90-km long Sonamura-Daudkandi waterways will boost bilateral trade.
Biplab Kumar Deb said he is optimistic that trade relations between Tripura and Bangladesh would be strengthened further with the opening of the waterways.
The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority has given permission for a trial run from Daundkandi in Comilla district in Bangladesh to Sonamura in Tripura via River Gomati.
Of the 90-km stretch of waterways, around 89.5-km is in Bangladesh.
As Gomati is a seasonal river, the new international waterway can remain operational for three to four months during the monsoon.
And if proper dredging is done, it could be a round-the year waterway. A floating jetty was constructed near the integrated check post.