Bangladesh, India reopen Maia-Sultanganj river route

Desk Report

Publisted at 4:04 PM, Mon Feb 12th, 2024

 

Bangladesh and India reopened the river route between Rajshahi’s Sultanganj and the neighbouring country’s Maia ports through the flagging of a cargo vessel today (12 February).

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma joined  State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury to inaugurate the important river connectivity route between India and Bangladesh, according to a press release issued by the Indian High Commission here in Dhaka.

The inauguration of the river route marks the first of the five trial movements of cargo vessels between Maia Port in India and Sultanganj, Godagari Port of Call in Bangladesh on the Indo Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) Route. 

In his remarks at the ceremony, Pranay Verma highlighted the new river route as part of the growing economic and connectivity links between India and Bangladesh and a visible symbol of the recent transformation of their relationship. 

He stressed the importance of multimodal connectivity in unlocking the true potential of bilateral cooperation and described the re-opening of the Maia-Sultanganj river route as a step which will not only benefit the local economies on the two sides of the border, but will also contribute to national economies and strengthen sub-regional cooperation and integration.

The Indian High Commissioner noted that India was today Bangladesh’s largest export destination in Asia. 

He hoped that better connectivity links and  new measures like trade in Indian Rupee will further enhance Bangladeshi exports to India. 

Talking about other forward looking initiatives, the High Commissioner noted the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and Bangladesh, for which negotiations are going to start soon.

There is significant potential for cargo movement through this IBP Route, which is expected to give new impetus to the Inland Waterways ecosystem in both countries.

Other dignitaries at the event included Mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation AHM Khairuzzaman (Litton), Members of Parliament from Rajshahi-1 Omor Faruk Chowdhury and Chapai Nawabganj-3 Md Abdul Wadud, and Senior Secretary Shipping Md Mustafa Kamal who attended the event as special guests. Officials from BIWTA, and the Ministry of Shipping of Government of Bangladesh were also present.

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