AGARTALA, June 20 (TIWN): India-Bangladesh transit facility under the revised Inland Water Transit and Trade Protocol became operational between Kolkata-Ashuganj-Tripura opening a path for developed trade facility between India and Bangladesh.The transit facility was signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Dhaka in June 2015 to boost trade and facilitate seamless movement of goods in the Bangladesh region.The trans-shipment operations were launched at the Ashuganj port with a cargo vessel unloading the maiden consignment to be transported to Tripura through Bangladeshi territory.The first ship from Kolkata carrying 1000 tonnes of steel and iron sheets reached Ashuganj river port in Bangladesh.Kolkata-Ashuganj-Tripura transit facility that runs through Bangladesh territory cuts the Kolkata-Agartala via Siliguri’s ‘chicken neck’ distance from 1600 kilometers to 800 kilometers.Further reduce the time of the journey from 30 days to 10 days. Apart from that the transportation cost is reduced from 67 US dollars to 35 US dollars per tonne while transporting from mainland India to the north-eastern states.

It is to be mentioned here that the revised Inland Water Transit & Trade Protocol under India-Bangladesh Bilateral Trade Agreement gives India and Bangladesh the right to each other’s territory for transiting goods to third countries.

However, The Kolkata-Ashuganj-Tripura transit route gives mainland India easier and cheaper access to the seven northeastern states.

Bangladesh can use Indian Territory to transit goods to Nepal and Bhutan while India can access Myanmar via Bangladesh.
The protocol facilitates trade and development not only between India and Bangladesh but in the entire sub-region facilitating trade and development in the sub-region.

It is to be mentioned here that a Bangladeshi ship carrying the consignment of 1,000 MT corrugated iron sheets for Tripura reached Ashuganj river port on Thursday last.

Officials stated that the consignment for Tripura has started from Kolkata on June 3 last using waterways for Ashuganj port, which is about 32 Kms from Agartala by road. This is the first commercial transit consignment sent for Tripura using Bangladesh. Anbis Development Ltd, a Bangladeshi operator, hired the ship to carry the goods from Kolkata to Ashuganj,

As per arrangement, the goods unloaded at Ashuganj port and then loaded onto Bangladeshi trucks, which would cross the Indo-Bangla border in Akhaura. The vehicles would travel by road to deliver the consignment to warehouses in India. Under the transit protocol, goods would be carried from Kolkata to Ashuganj through the river route and then from Ashuganj to Agartala, through a land route.