Agartala, Feb 3 (PTI) Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb laid the foundation stone for the Kamalpur Border Haat in Dhalai district on Thursday in presence of Bangladesh Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi.
Speaking at the programme, Deb said there were attempts to disrupt the bilateral ties between India and Bangladesh in the past but those were foiled because of strong leadership in the two countries.
Deb said partition had adversely affected Tripura’s access to waterways and ports but Bangladesh allowing India to use Chittagong port in 2019 was a major boost for the Northeast.
“It was Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who had given permission of using Chittagong port for the entire Northeast region in 2019,” he said.
“We had to travel 1,600 km to reach Haldia port in West Bengal. With the signing of the Standard Operative Procedure (SOP) for Chittagong port, one needs to travel only 67 km to reach Chittagong port from Maitri Setu in South Tripura’s Sabroom subdivision,” Deb added.
The border haat will not only enhance trade but also have a positive impact on the cultural relations between the two sides of the border, he said.
Munshi said Bangladesh will never forget that Tripura had opened its borders for 14 lakh people during the 1971 liberation war.
“The people of Tripura stood behind us during the 1971 war and gave every help they could offer,” he recounted.
“Bangladesh PM Hasina wants to take Indo-Bangla bilateral ties to a new height. We want more border haats, which will boost cultural ties alongside trade,” Munshi said.
The Bangladesh minister also promised to increase the number of items to be sold at the border haats in order to make it more attractive for the people living near the border.
Bangladesh MP Md Abdus Shahid and Indian envoy to Bangladesh Vikram Doraiswami were also present at the programme. PTI PS SOM SOM
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