AGARTALA, Dec 16 - The Centre has approved of Rs 90.60 crore for land acquisition for the Integrated Check Post (ICP) in Sabroom subdivision of south Tripura, according to official sources.
In a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI), an official of the MHA border management confirmed the approval of Rs 90.60 crore for incurring expenditure for land acquisition for the ICP.
�The proposal has been approved by the DoE considering the fact that sufficient funds are available under the budget head, �Grants-in-Aid�, for creation of capital expenditure,� the official said.
The LPAI will launch the land acquisition process for another ICP spread over 50 acres of land, which will be beneficial for bilateral trade with Bangladesh through Sabroom.
The land acquisition process is expected to get completed by the next two months to pave the way for taking up construction works for the ICP at Sabroom, said Debasish Nandi, Manager of the Akhaura ICP, here today.
The estimated cost of the proposed ICP at Sabroom is around Rs 300 crore which will have separate passenger and cargo terminals with state-of-the-art facilities, he said. The ICP will have a common boundary with the Sabroom railway goods yard for seamless transportation of goods from both ends.
The official further said that the Centre has already declared it a special single project keeping in mind its importance for bilateral trade with Bangladesh.
Sources in the Industries and Commerce Department said that the Sabroom ICP is an important project as it would make Saboom the gateway to the North East region. Construction of the Maitri Setu, which will connect Sabroom with Bangladesh, is expected to be completed by early next year. Once the bridge is ready, access to the Chittagong port will be easier for the State as the distance is only 72 km.
�The bridge will not serve its purpose if ancillary projects like the ICP are not made operational. That is why the ICP is important for us,� said the official.