Agartala, Dec 10 (PTI) Noting that connectivity has "remarkably improved" in Tripura, where polls are due next year, Chief Minister Manik Saha on Saturday said that the state will emerge as the gateway to Southeast Asia once the Maitri bridge, linking Sabroom with Bangladesh"s Ramgarh, is thrown open for public.Maitri bridge, over Feni river, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 9 last year.Located only 74 km away from Chittagong port, the bridge will opened to traffic once customs and immigration facilities are made available on the Bangladesh side by the Sheikh Hasina government, officials said.Saha, after inaugurating Shehri Samridhi Utsav here, an exhibition by self-help groups, stated, "Tripura"s future will turn brighter once the Maitri bridge is made operational. The northeastern state will soon become the gateway of India"s corridor to Southeast Asian nations." Asserting that connectivity has improved to a great extent in the state, over the past few years, the chief minister also said that the India-Bangladesh railway link, which is set to reduce the distance between Agartala and Kolkata via Dhaka, is expected get up and running next year."Currently, work to upgrade six national highways is underway, and budget has been approved for seven more such projects," the CM said, adding that the Centre has also sanctioned funds for constructing four ropeways.Saha also highlighted the steps taken by the state government in empowering women during the past four and half years."The number of women-run Self Help Groups (SHG) in the state has increased from 4,153 in 2017-18 to 38,657 till 2022. The fund allocation has also been enhanced by many folds- from Rs 32.67 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 347 crore. Add to that, the inflow of bank loan to SHGs has also recorded a steep increase from Rs. 4.96 crore to Rs. 560.36 crore," he said. PTI PS RMS RMS