Government mulls opening border markets in Tripura

AGARTALA: With the increase in trade between Tripura and Bangladesh, the Centre is considering a state government proposal for opening border markets and introducing flights on the Agartala-Dhaka-Chittagong routes.

The Union Home Ministry has informed the state that it was considering to open two 'haats' or border markets in West and South Tripura districts, state Commerce and Industries Minister Jiten Chowdhury said.

"Border haats will facilitate trade in a five km radius of the border of the two countries so that local growers can get market connectivity," he said.

"Generally no vehicles are used for marketing of local products and border guards take care of security. However, modalities are yet to be finalised," Chowdhury said.

The state government sent proposals to the Ministry of Home Affairs for opening border haats in six points on the 856 km Indo-Bangla international border.

He said that trade between Tripura and Bangladesh rose to Rs 300 crore in the current fiscal against Rs 163 crore last year.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation, he said, was also considering introduction of flights on the Agartala-Dhaka- Chittagong route as the prospect of export and import business with Bangladesh was good.

Chowdhury said talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Bangladesh counterpart, Sheikh Hasina in January last year agreed for giving access to Chittagong port in the neighbouring country.

He said that alignment of the 16 km rail link from Agartala to Akhaura in Bangladesh has been completed by engineers of both countries recently and the Rs 251 crore to be spent for laying railway tracks would be borne by India.

Chowdhury said Chief Minister Manik Sarkar during his visit to Dhaka in March last year also requested Sheikh Hasina for allowing Tripura to use the Chittagong port.

The Bangla government, he said, was considering to finalise the modalities to allow India, Nepal and Bhutan to use the sea port.

The minister said that heavy equipment for the Palatana power project in South Tripura district had started arriving through the Ashuganj river port in Bangladesh, 45 km from here.

He said the heavy consignments were ferried from Haldia port in West Bengal to Ashuganj port on the river Meghna in Bangladesh and then taken to the project site.