The trial run from Daudkandi in Bangladesh to Sonamura in Tripura started on Thursday as the MV Premier sailed from Daudkandi on Thursday with 50 metric tonne of cement cargo. It is scheduled to arrive in Sonamura in Tripura on Saturday after covering a distance of 93 kilometers through river Gumti.
The route will connect Tripura with Bangladesh using the inland waterways for the first time. This is yet another recent connectivity initiative with Bangladesh, which will greatly enhance connectivity between Bangladesh and the North Eastern states of India boosting bilateral trade with Bangladesh.
The opening of the new route follows the signing of the 2nd addendum to the Protocol for Inland Water Trade & Transit (PIWTT) in May 2020 which opened two new routes.
The PIWTT was signed between India and Bangladesh in 1972 to connect the two countries through inland waterways. In 2019-2020, approx. 3.5 million MT of cargo was transported between India and Bangladesh on the protocol routes.
Enhanced connectivity through inland waterways in the present Covid–19 scenario will provide an economical, faster, safer and cleaner mode of transportation for traders and business communities of both countries.