AGARTALA: Tripura chief minister Biplab Deb on Sunday said the bridge over the Feni river in southern Tripura, once completed, would make it easier to transport goods between the northeastern states and the rest of the world via the Chittagong sea port in Bangladesh Deb was speaking at a seminar on the role of media in strengthening Indo-Bangladesh relationship which was organized by the Agartala Press Club.Deb said the bridge over the Feni in South Tripura will be completed by December 2019, opening up new trade opportunities between the northeastern states and Bangladesh. "Since Agartala will be the nearest Indian city to the international sea port, Tripura will become the gateway to the northeast. The transportation cost of raw materials, consumer goods and finished industrial produces would come down immensely, increasing the investment potential of the region," Deb said."The transshipment facilities through Bangladesh will help increase the business potential of Bangladesh and give recruitment to many Bangladeshi labourers. The neighboruing country can also earn revenue from port usage charges as well as road and maritime taxes. In turn, Tripura and other northeastern states would get materials at a cheaper rate and can use the port for export purposes," he added.The Tripura chief minister was sharing the dais with Md Shafiul lslam, president of Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industries, which is the apex trade body of Bangladesh. Islam also stressed on the need for better trade relation between the two countries and called on India to take in more FDI from Bangladesh.

Stay updated with all the Agartala Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.