Agartala, April 13 (TIWN): For achieving rapid economic development in Tripura and states of North East Region, facility of movement of goods and people through Bangladesh to Northeast and Eastern India is necessary. Prior to this Tripura-Mizoram-Manipur pays keen interest to develop transshipment facility officially with Bangladesh as well as accessible connection through Chittagong Port in Bangladesh. In the meantime, third consignment of rice from Andhra Pradesh had started arriving through Ashuganj Port. But this transshipment is not declared officially. Bangladesh Government had approved to this transport facility based on the humanitarian ground. Therefore for official procedure is being urged by the above mentioned North-Eastern States to develop a new ray of friendship with the neighbouring country. It is to be mention that Assam had direct border with West Bengal, so, there is no difficulty in import-export method. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has urged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for improvising India's relations with Bangladesh further with better connectivity and development of the state. CM said Tripura was connected to India through Bangladesh by roads, railways and waterways which need to be restored. "There's an urgent need for transit and transshipment facilities through Bangladesh.

It is to be mentioned that Tripura is one of the remotest and land locked state of the Northeast which is ringed by Bangladesh in three sides. The other side is connected through Karimganj district of Assam and provides a corridor through ‘chicken neck’ for linkage with the so called ‘main land’ of the country.

But the state was not landlocked before the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947. It was a princely state, but was connected through roads, railways and waterways through East Bengal, now Bangladesh. Our independence made us landlocked and we have lost our repartition communication map and business linkages. If we want to restore our earlier communication and revive businesses, we also must look at new opening through waterways, besides roads and railways. Tripura comes under the Meghna basin. The state has eleven major rivers of which four directly falls into the Meghna River in Bangladesh. These are Manu, Khowai, Gumti and Dhalai. Of the rest seven rivers, five fall into Meghna indirectly. Like Deo river falls into river Manu which mingles with Meghna. Two rivers – Longai and Juri falls into Kushiara river which finally sink into Meghna. Hawra which flows through the capital city converge into Titas, a tributary of Meghna. Burima mingles with Bijoy nadi, which together drops to Meghna. The two other major rivers of the state Feni and Muhuri flow .