Agartala, Aug 3: Bangladesh High Commissioner to India, M. Riaz Hamidullah, concluded his three-day visit to Tripura on Sunday and departed for New Delhi in the afternoon.
Before leaving the state, he paid a courtesy visit to Tripura Governor Indrasena Reddy Nallu at the Raj Bhavan. He was accompanied by Arif Muhammad, Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh stationed in Agartala.
The High Commissioner had arrived in Agartala on Friday and met Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha soon after landing. According to sources, Hamidullah had a packed itinerary focused solely on inspecting key India-Bangladesh infrastructure projects that are yet to be formally inaugurated.
The commissioning of major projects like the Agartala-Akhaura rail link, the Maitri Setu bridge over the Feni River, and the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Sabroom has been stalled due to the political unrest in Bangladesh.
The Indian government has made significant financial investments in these ventures to boost connectivity and provide landlocked northeastern states, including Tripura, access to seaports. Progress on the India-Bangladesh inland waterway project has also been moving steadily.
During his visit, Hamidullah reviewed all these infrastructure initiatives but refrained from engaging with the press. However, in response to a brief media interaction, he expressed satisfaction with the ongoing work, hinting that bilateral relations between the two nations could see considerable improvement in the near future.
As a gesture of goodwill, Bangladesh’s interim government had earlier sent a consignment of its famed mangoes to Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha.
Tripura, which shares an 856-kilometer-long border with Bangladesh on three sides, plays a critical role in India’s strategy to transform its northeastern region into a major trade and connectivity hub.
To achieve this, India has been heavily investing in cross-border infrastructure projects aimed at linking the region to the Bay of Bengal.
Initial projections had indicated that the Agartala-Akhaura rail link and the Sabroom ICP might be inaugurated by December 2024.
However, delays arose following political upheaval in Bangladesh, which reportedly led to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fleeing the country, halting all scheduled inaugurations.
Observers believe the High Commissioner’s visit could be interpreted as an effort by Bangladesh to revive diplomatic ties that had recently been strained amid reports of violence against Hindu minorities in the country.
Official sources indicate that once operational, the Agartala-Akhaura railway and Sabroom ICP could transform Tripura into a vital trade gateway for the entire northeastern region.
The High Commissioner departed for the national capital on a 3:00 PM flight from Agartala’s Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport.
