India-Bangladesh: ‘Maitri Setu’ to be inaugurated on 9th March

The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, will inaugurate the ‘Maitri Setu’ between India and Bangladesh via video conferencing on March 9, 2021. He will also inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of several infrastructure projects in Tripura on the occasion.

About ‘Maitri Setu’

The ‘Maitri Setu’ is a bridge that has been built in the River Feni. Feni river flows between the Indian boundary in the state of Tripura and Bangladesh. The name ‘Maitri Setu’ has been chose to symbolize the growing bilateral relations and friendly ties between both the countries. The construction of the bridge was done by the “National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd”. The total cost of the bridge project is Rs. 133 Crores. It is a 1.9 Km long bridge that connects the Sabroom in India with Ramgarh in Bangladesh.

Significance of the bridge

The inauguration of the bridge will establish a new chapter for doing the trade and people to people movement in between the countries. After this bridge is operation, the Indian state of Tripura will become the ‘Gateway of North East’ with having access to Chittagong Port in Bangladesh. This port is located at the distance of 80 Kms from Sabroom.

Check Post at Sabroom, Tripura

Prime Minister Modi will also lay down the foundation stone to set up an “Integrated Check Post at Sabroom” on the occasion. This check post will help in easing the movement of goods and passengers between India and Bangladesh. It will also provide new market opportunities for the products of North Eastern states of India. This check post will also assist the seamless movement of passengers from both the countries. The project will be undertaken by “Land Ports Authority of India”. This project has the estimated cost of Rs 232 crores.

Month: Current Affairs - March, 2021