AGARTALA, Dec 29 (TIWN / bdnews24.com ): The India government has released the first instalment of its agreed funding to open a new waterway link between its Northeastern region and Bangladesh.

This is designed to facilitate movement of people, goods and machinery and hugely help the land-locked region , said a senior official in Agartala.
 
"Responding to the Tripura government's proposals to develop waterway link between Tripura's Gomati and Howrah rivers and the Meghna river of Bangladesh, the India government’s Ministry of Water Transport and Shipping has sanctioned 125 million Indian rupees for the project. The first instalment of 20 million rupees to link the Gomati and the Meghna has been released,” said Samarjit Bhaumik, Transport Secretary of the government of Tripura.
 
Bhaumik told bdnews24.com : "The state government has to submit detailed project reports (DPRs) to develop waterways between Gomti and Howrah with Meghna."
 
To expedite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Act East Policy India is prioritising multi-modal connectivity in the northeastern region, including water connectivity, and already 16 waterway projects, mostly involving Bangladesh, have been approved for this region.
 
Earlier the state owned RITES (Rail India Technical and Economic Services) had conducted a preliminary feasibility study to create new inland water transport circuit between the Gomati and the Howrah in Tripura with the Meghna and the Titas in Bangladesh.
 
Four inland water routes between India and Bangladesh are currently operational -- Kolkata-Pandu (in southern Assam) via Bangladesh, Kolkata-Karimganj (in southern Assam) via Bangladesh, Rajshahi (in Bangladesh)-Dhulian (in southern Assam) and Karimganj-Pandu-Karimganj via Bangladesh.
 
These waterways have been operational since 1972 and are being renewed from time to time under the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade between the two countries.
There are also four ports of call in each country through which inter-country trade through inland waterways can take place. These are: Narayanganj, Khulna, Mongla and Sirajganj in Bangladesh and Kolkata, Haldia, Karimganj and Pandu in India.
 
Tripura and other northeastern states are surrounded by Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan and China on three sides and the only land route access to these states from within India is through Assam and West Bengal by Siliguri or the Chicken's Neck corridor. The lengthy route from Assam passes through hilly terrain with steep roads and multiple hairpin bends.
 
Beside Bangladesh India is also implementing the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit-Transport Project through Sittwe port in Myanmar to resolve the connectivity problem in the mountainous northeast region.
 
The union cabinet had recently revised the cost of the project from Rs 535 crore to Rs 2,904 crore. The funds will be given as grant to Myanmar. 

The much-expected projects will provide an alternative access route to the northeast and boost the region's economy.