Agartala: The Asian Confluence has conducted a study and held a stakeholder consultation on the upcoming Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Sabroom in the South District of Tripura, assessing its potential impact on trade, connectivity, and overall development.
Tripura shares 856 km long international boundary with Bangladesh.
Sabroom is directly connected to Chittagong port of Bangladesh through Maitree bridge on River Feni which is about 70 km from the proposed Land Port.
With access to Chittagong port Tripura is set to become the ‘Gateway of North East’ to elevate the regional economy.
On 9 March, 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina jointly inaugurated the Maitree Setu, also known as the ‘friendship bridge’ — spanning over the river Feni and connecting Sabroom with Bangladesh.
This 1.9-km-long bridge will enable the smooth transportation of passengers and goods from the port.
After the bridge is made operational, it will also help Bangladesh’s trade with Nepal and Bhutan through Tripura and NE region.
The Asian Confluence, a think-tank institute, is a non-governmental and nonprofit organization that initiates, stimulates, and accelerates the revival of shared values between India and Southeast Asia.
Debasish Nandi, Manager of the Land Port Authority of India (LPAI) in Agartala, spoke on the issue on Sundau stating that it was a two-day-long technical session.
“We have invited Asian Confluence, a think tank with experts in international trade, to conduct a study on the newly constructed ICP at Sabroom in the South District regarding connectivity, trade, and other issues. Our Land Port is also under construction. We invited various stakeholders, including professors, local district administration, and other officials, to share their perspectives on the development of the ICP and discuss potential benefits. It was a two-day session, and today was the second day. Detailed discussions were held,” he told Business North East in an Exclusive interview.
Meanwhile, local leader and former BJP MLA Sankar Roy expressed hope that the newly constructed ICP would commence operations soon after the conclusion of the Bangladesh election process.
“They have come here to explore the kind of possibilities of trade and other issues through the ICP. During the meeting, they wanted to understand the facilities provided by the ICP, as they are conducting a study. We informed them about the infrastructure, such as roads and hospitals, and discussed the goods that can be exported to Bangladesh. The focus was on overall development, and they emphasized the facilities for companies interested in investing here. They also assessed whether we have the necessary infrastructure that would be beneficial for others,” he added.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, Asian Confluence posted, “@AsianConfluence along with @LPAI_Official conducted stakeholder consultations on the upcoming ICP at Sabroom. The study team visited Sabroom and the Agartala ICP in Tripura. The consultations explored trade and economic opportunities for Tripura and the rest of the NE region.”
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