Sabroom land port expected to be operational soon

Agartala: Amid the chaos in Bangladesh, the Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) has announced plans to operationalise the newly built land port in Sabroom, South Tripura. On Tuesday, LPAI chairman Aditya Mishra conducted an inspection of Sabroom's border infrastructure alongside BSF officials, indicating that operations are expected to commence in early 2024. The Centre has invested over Rs 500 crore in constructing a bridge across River Feni, connecting Sabroom to Chittagong sea port, approximately 70 km away. This infrastructure aims to enhance trade connections between Southeast Asia and northeast India via Bangladesh.Currently, northeast India relies on West Bengal's Haldia port, requiring transportation across 2000 km through North Bengal and the challenging terrain of Assam and Meghalaya. To reduce this distance, the Centre established a railway connection between Agartala and Bangladesh, projected to generate Rs 1000 crore in business for Bangladesh.Whilst both projects reached completion, the collapse of Sheikh Hasina's govt in Bangladesh and increased anti-Indian sentiments have created uncertainty. The Sabroom Land Port, initially set to open on Aug 14, and the railway line planned for Oct, faced delays due to Bangladesh's political upheaval."We conducted a conference with stakeholders at the Sabroom land port to discuss its progress. We are striving to make this route functional as soon as possible, as it will greatly benefit both states by boosting tourism and trade. Despite some instability, the two countries are closely connected in many ways, and this route will be advantageous for both sides," Mishra said. He further mentioned that all 15 land ports nationwide will integrate with digital platforms like Digi Yatra and Yatri Suvidha Portals to enhance passenger movement.