AGARTALA, May 14 - Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das have stressed the need for speedy and time-bound completion of projects being undertaken along the Tripura-Bangladesh border.
Das, who visited the State on Monday, had an elaborate discussion with the Chief Minister on a wide range of subjects at the latter�s office.
�A wide range of subjects were discussed relating to the progress of projects being undertaken on the Tripura-Bangladesh border,� an official, who was present in the meeting, said here today.
Expediting the inland waterway works by connecting Gomati with the Meghna river in Bangladesh took the centre stage in the meeting. The focus of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chief Minister on making Tripura the gateway to the North East needs a thrust through a robust waterway connecting the State with its neighbour, Bangladesh.
�Both the Chief Minister and the Indian envoy were of the opinion that works on the waterway need to be completed as per the prescribed time limit and the same issue must be taken up with Dhaka accordingly,� said the official.
The 12.03-km Agartala-Akhaura rail project is a significant part of the HIRA (Highways/I-way/Rail/Airways) model of development unfolded by the Prime Minister to make the State the logistical hub of the North East.
Das informed the Chief Minister that all issues with regard to completion of works would be duly taken up with Dhaka and the all-important rail project would be completed as per the deadline.
Currently, a large number of Bangladeshi nationals arrive in India through the Akhaura route and proceed to Bengaluru, Hyderabad and other parts of the country for healthcare, business and tourism-related activities.
Under the current system, these Bangladeshi nationals, who enter through the Akhaura route, are compelled to return via the same route as they cannot exit from any other place such as Delhi, Kolkata or Bengaluru. �This causes great inconvenience to the passengers and makes it less viable for them to undertake their journeys through Tripura. It should be like in West Bengal, where Bangladeshis who enter India through that State can exit from anywhere else in the country,� the Chief Minister is stated to have said in the meeting.
In response, the Indian envoy said that the matter would be addressed and a positive decision would be taken in the best interests of the people of the State.
