Passenger movement through Maitri Setu, the bridge connecting India and Bangladesh in south Tripura district, will commence by September this year, according to a senior government official. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina virtually inaugurated the Maitri Setu in March 2021. The bridge, spanning 1.9 km over the Feni River, connects Sabroom in India with Ramgarh in Bangladesh.
“The Maitri Setu has already been inaugurated. The land port is almost ready…The movement of passengers through the bridge will commence in September. It will take two or three months to introduce goods movement after passenger movement gets underway,” said Kiran Gitte, Secretary of Tripura’s Industries and Commerce Department, during a press conference last week.
The initiation of goods movement through the bridge is considered strategically significant, not only for Tripura but also for the entire northeast region. The Chittagong port in Bangladesh is just 80 km from Tripura’s Sabroom, offering potential for enhanced trade routes. Additionally, Gitte announced that the Kamalasagar border haat in Tripura’s Sepahijala district, closed due to the Covid pandemic, would be reopening soon. Currently, the Srinagar border haat in south Tripura district is operational.
Here’s all you need to know about the bridge and its significance
1. The Maitri Setu is a 1.9-kilometre-long bridge connecting Sabroom in India’s Tripura with Bangladesh’s Ramgarh
2. It is constructed over the Feni River, marking the boundary between the two nations
3. The bridge symbolizes the strengthening of bilateral relations and friendly ties between India and Bangladesh
4. Maitri Setu is a pre-stressed concrete structure with a single-span design, facilitating smooth traffic and cargo flow
5. The construction was supervised by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (NHIDCL), under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH)
6. The bridge allows the transport of goods from West Bengal to Northeast India via the Chittagong and Mongla Ports in Bangladesh
7. The bridge enhances economic development in the Northeastern states and fosters people-to-people connections between India’s northeast and Bangladesh
8. The Maitri Setu bridge provides a new maritime route from Kolkata to Chittagong, offering a quicker alternative to the Sittwe Port-Kaladan route and strengthening regional connectivity, trade, and diplomatic relations
(With inputs from PTI)