Across the border in Tripura, the International Passenger Terminal already has been officially inaugurated at the Ramgarh Land Port in Khagrachari, Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated it through video conference. Next to it, is the land port of Sabroom in Tripura.
It hasn’t inaugurated yet. As a result, the passage of passengers and goods is not started.
The distance from here to Chittagong port is around seventy kilometers. As a result, if the land ports are fully operational, various goods shipped to Chittagong can be easily imported and exported in the same way to North-Eastern states including Tripura through the land port. Cost will also decrease.
Ramgarh is the 15th land port of Bangladesh and the first land port of Chittagong Hill Tracts. To use this land port, a bridge called Bangladesh-India Friendship Bridge (Maitri Setu) has been constructed over Feni River at Navinpara in Sabroom Sub-division of Tripura South District.
8 bridges and 8 culverts have been constructed to connect Ramgarh land port with Dhaka-Chittagong highway. In this context, the president of Khagrachari Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Kangjari Chowdhury said, Bangladesh can easily import livestock, fruits, wood, seeds, wheat, stone, coal, fertilizer etc. from India. Import-export of goods through this land port will also improve the living conditions of the local people.
President of Tripura Chamber of Commerce Tushar Chakraborty said, this time Chittagong port can be easily used. As a result, it will take less time and money to import and export goods in North Eastern states including Tripura. New doors of trade will open.
For this, Tushar Chakraborty has requested the intervention of the state government to bring the issue of speedy opening of Sabrum land port to the attention of the central government.
In-charge of Ramgarh land port Aftab Uddin said that the infrastructure of immigration, customs department, bank, health examination and BGB has been created there. However, the Sabroom land port has not yet been fully developed, said an official of the Customs Department.
Temporary offices for Customs and Immigration officers have been set up. But the customs official said that no order has come from the government to speed up the rest of the work. As a result, nothing can be said for sure about when the passengers will start transiting through Sabroom land port.
