The Institution of Engineers (India) (IEI), Tripura State Centre, in association with the School of Logistics, Communication and Waterways, SIPARD, Agartala, organised a seminar programme on ‘International Connectivity with Tripura and Business Opportunities’ on Friday. This programme was held at the Seminar Hall of IEI, Tripura State Centre at Pt. Nehru Complex, Gurkhabasti, Agartala. The tiny state of Tripura is gradually becoming a connectivity hub as several projects, that have been in development for a long time are finally getting underway. Most of these projects run through neighbouring Bangladesh. This would reduce the time to ship or receive goods from mainland India and could make Tripura the country’s main export hub. Er. Paramananda Sarkar Banerjee, Former Chief Inspector of Factory & Boilers, Govt. of Tripura and OSD to the Chief Minister of Tripura, graced the occasion as Guest of Honour. He spoke about the strategic importance of Tripura with the creation of international connections by rail, road and waterways. He also pointed out the possible development of health infrastructure and medical education in Tripura, which is closely linked to this international connectivity.
Er. Susanta Dutta, Head of School of Logistics, Communication & Waterways, SIPARD, Agartala spoke about Tripura’s diverse opportunities in logistic sector. Special Speaker of the program Dr. Subir Sen, Associate Professor & Head, Department of Commerce, Tripura University (A Central University) portrayed the economy of Tripura and discussed the historical perspective of connectivity in Tripura before and after the partition of India. He also highlighted the medicinal plants as a potential business opportunity in Tripura.
Another Special Speaker, Dr. Partha Pratim Sarkar, Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, NIT Agartala, discussed the impact of rainfall induced landslides in road connectivity and emphasized on BBIN (Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal) Corridor. The programme was presided over by Dr. Subhadeep Bhattacharjee, Chairman of the Institution of Engineers (India), Tripura State Centre. Dr. Mrinal Kanti Deb Barma, Honorary Secretary of the Center, delivered the welcome address on this occasion.
The discussion had shown that Tripura can play a very important role in cross-border trade, especially with Bangladesh, due to its unique geographical location in this region, not only for Tripura products but also for other states in the region NE, targeting other countries in Southeast Asia. Tripura is now well connected to air, road and rail networks and will soon be connected to Chittagong Port via Sabroom and to Akhaura via the rail network. Tripura’s first-ever Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Sabroom, the southernmost city on the border with Bangladesh, has the potential to make it the commercial capital of the Northeast. The seminar was attended by a large number of engineers and students from the fields of engineering, business and management.
