Infrastructure
Act East Policy: Maiden Voyage Of Cargo Vessels Signals A Paradigm Shift In India-Bangladesh Connectivity
A cargo ship carrying containers. (Representative image)
Aiming to boost trade and connectivity between India and Bangladesh, the first trial movement of vessels between Maia Port in India and Sultanganj Port in Bangladesh on India Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) Route numbers 5 and 6 is set to take place on today (12 February 2024).
India-Bangladesh relations have evolved across various domains, including political, economic, cultural, and strategic ties over the years.
The vessels will be flagged off by the Minister of State for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Shantanu Thakur, from Maia Inland Customs Port in West Bengal.
This development is in line with the Act East Policy of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
The waterway route from Maia (IBP route) to Dhubri (NW-2) via Aricha will reduce the distance by around 930 kilometres compared to the existing waterway route from Dhulian-Maia-Kolkata-IBP-Dhubri. With this move, 2.6 MTPA of export cargo to Bangladesh is expected to shift from road to waterways.
The riverine distance between Port of Call Maia in India and Port of Call Sultanganj in Bangladesh is 16km, out of which 4.5km of waterways are in India and the rest 11.5km are in Bangladesh.
The flagging-off event will be attended by transport and state transport ministers of the West Bengal government, along with the member of Parliament from Jangipur Lok Sabha constituency and members of the state legislature from Raghunathganj and Lalgola legislative constituencies, as well as other dignitaries.
Background
Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, paid a state visit to India from 5-8 September 2022 at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi. During the visit, the two sides agreed to expeditiously explore direct shipping links between the two countries.
They also agreed to implement the decision to start riverine services under the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade routes 5 and 6 (Dhulian to Rajshahi -extension to Aricha) and 9 and 10 (Daudkandi to Sonamura).
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest
