Maitri Setu, a crucial bridge linking Northeast India to the Bay of Bengal, opens in September.
The long-awaited Maitri Setu, a Bangladesh-India friendship bridge, is set to provide Northeast India with vital connectivity to the Bay of Bengal by September. The bridge, which spans the Feni River connecting Ramgarh in Bangladesh with Sabroom in Tripura, was inaugurated by Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Sheikh Hasina in March 2021.
Following the recent swearing-in ceremony of Modi’s third term, Modi and Hasina had a brief interaction at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. Hasina is scheduled for an official visit to India later in June or July. Alongside six other leaders from India’s immediate neighborhood and the Indian Ocean Region, she was invited for the inauguration ceremony.
The 1.9-kilometer-long Maitri Setu, constructed by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation at a cost of ₹133 crore, is strategically significant as it grants northeastern states access to Bay of Bengal ports, with Chittagong port being just 80 km from Sabroom. According to Tripura industries and commerce department secretary Kiran Gitte, cargo movement through the bridge will commence two to three months after the start of passenger movement in September.
In addition to enhancing trade routes, India will assist in transiting electricity from Bhutan to Bangladesh. During a courtesy call by Bhutanese Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay in New Delhi, Hasina reiterated Bangladesh’s eagerness to import hydroelectricity from Bhutan through India, highlighting the necessity of a tripartite agreement to facilitate this import.
