AGARTALA, June 7 - President Ram Nath Kovind today said the Northeast will get direct connectivity to southeast Asian nations once the Feni bridge in South Tripura district is made operational.
The construction of the bridge connecting both sides of the international border is scheduled to be completed by the end of November this year.
Under Bharat Mala project, a total of 5,200 km roads will be constructed to boost road connectivity and out of this Tripura alone will have 500 km roads with an estimated cost of Rs 6,000 crore, he said.
The President, who arrived here this morning, was speaking at a programme to dedicate newly constructed four-lane NH-8 connecting Udaipur with Sabroom in the state�s southernmost border subdivision.
�The Centre has been giving priority to the Northeast�s infrastructure development... The 73-km national highway will connect Tripura with Bangladesh thorough the Feni bridge in Sabroom subdivision,� he pointed out.
Kovind, in his brief speech also mentioned adverse impact of country�s partisan in 1947. �The distance between Agartala and Kolkata, which was only 700 km, has gone up to 1,700 km overnight! The four-lane national highway will directly connect Tripura with Bangladesh through the Feni bridge,� he said.
�Sea is far from Tripura but with the Feni bridge coming up, the state will have access to Bangladesh�s Chittagong port that will boost trade, commerce and people-to-people contact,� the President said.
With today�s connectivity facility, the development of Tripura will get a new impetus in the days to come, Kovind said, adding that the Centre has been putting in all-out efforts to the Act East policy to boost development in the entire northeastern region.
The President further said prosperity of a nation will remain incomplete unless a state is developed and the time has come for Tripura to march with the pace the nation. He also made a mention of the state�s tourism potential because of its green cover, rare species of animals, and religious sites.
The function was also addressed by Governor Tathagata Roy and Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb.
Later in the evening, the President was accorded a civic reception at Rabindra Bhavan here.
