Is Tripura ready to lead the India-Bangladesh trade corridor?'
For decades, Tripura, like many other Northeastern states in India, has been landlocked, with the narrow Siliguri Corridor, often referred to as the 'Chicken's Neck,' serving as its only connection to the rest of the country. This geographic isolation has hindered the region's access to mainstream economic development. However, Tripura is now emerging as a strategic link between India's Northeast and Bangladesh, playing a crucial role in the country's 'Act East Policy,' which aims to enhance economic cooperation and strategic partnerships across the Asia-Pacific region.
Landmark infrastructure projects, such as the Maitri Setu Bridge in Sabroom and the Agartala–Akhaura Rail Link, inaugurated in
2021 and 2023 respectively, position Tripura as a vital India-Bangladesh trade corridor, connecting the landlocked Northeast to international markets. However, Tripura's potential as the 'Northeast Gateway' is not solely reliant on its geographic location; it also depends heavily on political will, cross-border diplomacy, and effective implementation.
The Agartala–Akhaura rail link, which spans 12.24 km, connects Tripura to key industrial hubs in Bangladesh, including Dhaka, Chittagong, and Sylhet, making Agartala the first state capital in India directly linked by rail to Bangladesh. Meanwhile, the Maitri Setu Bridge, which crosses the Feni River in South Tripura, stretches 1.5 km and links Sabroom to Ramgarh in Bangladesh, providing direct access to the Chittagong Port. This route significantly reduces logistics costs from Agartala to Kolkata Port by up to 80% compared to traditional routes through the Siliguri Corridor.
However, these projects are not yet fully operational and remain subject to diplomatic negotiations, technical readiness, and policy alignment between the two nations. If the India-Bangladesh trade corridor becomes fully operational, it will significantly boost the region's growth, enhance logistics, create jobs, and position Tripura as a vital trade center for the entire Northeast.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
Get Ready To Hold Polls Before Ramadan 2026, Md Yunus' Office Tells EC In Letter
Principal Secretary to the Chief Adviser urged the commission to initiate the required processes to ensure a free, fair & festive national election within the specified timeframe The Office of the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh, Professor Muhammad Yunus, has sent a letter to the Election Commission, requesting that all necessary preparations be completed to hold the national parliamentary election before the start of Ramadan in February 2026. With this letter, the government has formally communicated its request to the Election Commission regarding the conduct of the election. In a letter addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner on Wednesday, Principal Secretary to the Chief Adviser, M Siraj Uddin Miah, urged the commission to initiate the required processes to ensure a free, fair, peaceful, and festive national election within the specified timeframe. On August 5, during his speech to the nation on the occasion of the July Uprising Day, Yunus had stated that a letter would be sent to the Election Commission, requesting the election be held before the start of Ramadan in February next year. Referring to the Chief Adviser's address, the letter notes that he had called for the immediate commencement of all necessary institutional and logistical preparations. Given that citizens have been deprived of their right to vote for the past 15 years, Yunus has emphasised that the upcoming election should be organized as a grand celebration of democracy, making it a joyful and memorable day for all. The letter also recalls the Chief Adviser's vision of the election becoming an unforgettable event—marked by peace, order, high voter turnout, harmony, and sincerity. It underscores the importance of employing appropriate technology in the election process and reaffirms the government's full commitment to supporting the Election Commission in holding a credible, free, peaceful, and festive election. view comments First Published: August 07, 2025, 12:49 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
16 hours ago
- Business Standard
Reckoning in Dhaka: A year since the coup, Bangladesh is in a shambles
An indecisive "interim" government under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is increasingly prey to non-democratic Islamists, who envisage a Bangladeshi caliphate. None of this augurs well for the country Business Standard Editorial Comment New Delhi Listen to This Article In the year since Sheikh Hasina was ousted as Prime Minister, Bangladesh has transitioned from a model of economic transformation and poverty reduction to one of South Asia's most unstable countries, dominated by Islamic fundamentalists aligned to the China-Pakistan axis. In the process, India has lost one of its staunchest allies, now replaced by an implacably hostile regime. An indecisive 'interim' government under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is increasingly prey to non-democratic Islamists, who envisage a Bangladeshi caliphate. None of this augurs well for the country or South Asian stability. Inevitably, the Bangladesh economy has taken a hit. Since Dr
NDTV
18 hours ago
- NDTV
A Year Later: Did Bangladesh Trade One Crisis For Another?
A year has passed since the Sheikh Hasina government was ousted in Bangladesh. The end of a near-permanent administration, ruled by the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's iron fist, left a power vacuum with no obvious incumbent and domestic chaos erupting across the country. Yet, within a month, an interim government was nominated to power by the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement, to tide over the crisis and pave the way for the next national referendum. Under Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus and his Council of Advisers, the country has since been taking a course distinctly different from the established trajectories of the 'Hasina past'. The implications for Dhaka are significant, as the new dispensation seeks a new identity for the country that sits at odds with its past but aligns with its priorities of the moment. The immediate cause of Hasina's ouster had been the government's violent crackdown on the students' protests against the quota reforms. However, public resentment had been brewing in the country for years for several reasons. Naturally, one of the first tasks of the interim government had been to restore the fractured democracy. Accordingly, it appointed the National Consensus Commission to reach an all-party consensus to draft the procedures for future governance. The July Charter That Was To Be The July Charter, as it has been named, was released on August 5, 2025, to mark the first anniversary of the revolution. However, it is still in the draft stage. While agreements have been reached on some of its terms, such as the revival of the caretaker government system and the formation of the Election Commission, the parties remain divided on other fronts, including the separation of powers between the Prime Minister, Head of the ruling party, and the Head of Parliament. Some of the political parties have also expressed their reservations about the draft, terming it 'incomplete' and requiring further discussions before formalisation. Moreover, the drafting process of the July Charter has not been inclusive, with the Awami League (disbanded in May 2025) and the Jatiya Party supporters of the former left out of the process. It will be important to ensure that the July Charter is free of political prejudices, including those of the interim government, as the promised polls approach in 2026. Beyond constitutional reform, the interim government is also facing challenges of communal harmony and social inclusion. In Bangladesh's new era, secularism is also a question that needs deliberation. The aftermath of Hasina's ouster witnessed a reportedly significant rise in violence against the Hindus, the largest minority community in the country. The arrest and imprisonment of the Iskon leader sparked further communal tensions, creating uncertainty about their fate under this new regime. While the interim government maintained that the aggression had been essentially against senior Awami League members, who happened to be Hindus, and not necessarily against the faith, Yunus called for communal harmony. Yet, in a country where the political future is uncertain, a secular party has been disbanded, and political parties with reports of religious intolerance are at the electoral forefront, the fate of the marginalised will be tested. Rewriting Its Destiny The regime change has not only left its imprint on domestic politics but has also shaped foreign policy. Breaking its past mould of maintaining a diplomatic balance between India and China, Dhaka's relations have strained with New Delhi. This detriment can be attributed to various factors, namely, Hasina's continued shelter in India, the minority attacks in Bangladesh, and Dhaka's unstinted outreach to Pakistan and China, insensitive to India's strategic considerations. For the first time since its inception in 1971, Dhaka has sought active cooperation with Islamabad, which has been well reciprocated. As India's developmental projects remain halted, there is also more room for Beijing to strengthen its foothold in Bangladesh and thereby in the Bay of Bengal region. However, these strategic shifts cannot be interpreted as representative of Bangladesh's popular views, since the interim government is not an elected choice. A year into the regime change, Bangladesh stands at a crossroads between reawakening and regression. Dhaka is in transition, with the interim government balancing internal expectations, external interests, and mounting pressures to hand over to an elected administration. The student protests that led to the political upheaval offered an opportunity for the country to reinvent itself. However, the way forward is marked by positive initiatives that need fruition and pitfalls that must be navigated. In the process, the identity of Bangladesh will be tested, contested, and reshaped. (Harsh V. Pant is is Vice President, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi. Sohini Bose is an Associate Fellow – Neighbourhood Studies, Observer Research Foundation, Kolkata.)
