In a major boost for the India and Bangladesh bilateral ties, the two nations are set to operationalise a new riverine trade route on 3 September, adding an all-new dimension of engagement to the already rich and deep relationship, reports Hindustan Times.

The riverine trade route would run between Sonamura in Tripura and Daudkandi in Bangladesh, in line with an agreement signed in May this year to operationalise a total of two new routes and five new ports which would help boost connectivity for India's northeastern states, while significantly bringing down transportation costs and time.

On 3 September, as a part of the pilot operation on the 93-kilometres-long Sonamura-Daudhandi route, a Bangladeshi vessel containing cement cargo of 50 metric tonnes will travel from Bangladesh to Tripura via Gumti river.

The operationalisation of the new riverine trade route is likely to give a major fillip to the growing trade between the two nations which is carried out through inland waterways. In 2019-20, the figure of such bilateral trade stood at 3.5 million metric tonnes.

Meanwhile, it should be noted that the work in also being pursued on the operationalisation of another riverine trade route between Dhulian in West Bengal and Rajshahi in Bangladesh.