Agartala, Mar 9 (IANS): Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Saturday that the India-Bangladesh ‘Maitri Setu’ (friendship bridge) connecting the border town of Sabroom in Tripura with Ramgarh in Bangladesh will be operational soon.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated and laid the foundation for multiple development projects worth more than Rs 8,500 crore in Tripura, including the vital Land Port (integrated check-post) at Sabroom, virtually from Arunachal capital Itanagar.

The Land Port, which has been constructed at a cost of about Rs 250 crore, would facilitate trade, tourism, and movement of people between India and Bangladesh using the Maitri Setu.

Saha, who attended the virtual event with his Cabinet colleagues, said: “We are eagerly waiting for the ‘Maitri Setu’ to become operational. It will turn Tripura into the gateway of Southeast Asia.”

After the integrated check-posts in Akhura (West Tripura), and Srimantapur (Sepahijala district), the Land Port in Sabroom is the largest in Tripura, the Chief Minister said, adding that the people from the northeast and other states can easily access the Chittagong international sea port through the Sabroom ICP and the Maitri Setu.

Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation for the Sabroom Land Port in March 2021, when he and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the ‘Maitri Setu’, which has reduced the distance between Sabroom and the Chittagong port to just 75 km.

The 1.9 km-long double-lane bridge, built for Rs 133 crore over River Feni, is the most significant venture to link India and Bangladesh by road and to access the Chittagong international and Mongla sea ports in Bangladesh.

With the use of the Chittagong and Mongla sea ports, the distance between Tripura and Kolkata ports will be reduced to less than 100 km from the existing 1,700 km.

The Bangladesh government has already announced to allow the northeastern states to get access not only to the Chittagong and Mongla ports, but also to the Chittagong airport.