An official meeting between India and Bangladesh on Tuesday focused on operationalizing the land port at Sabroom in Tripura to strengthen cross-border trade and infrastructure. This sixth sub-group meeting between the Land Port Authority of India (LPAI) and the Bangladesh Land Port Authority (BLPA) brought together officials from both countries to review ongoing projects and initiate new developments aimed at enhancing efficiency at shared land ports and integrated check-posts along their 4,096-kilometer border.
The Indian delegation, led by Sanjeev Gupta, LPAI Member (Planning and Development), included officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Border Security Force, the Ministry of External Affairs, and Customs. The Bangladeshi team, headed by BLPA Joint Secretary Tahmina Yeasmin, included representatives from the Border Guard Bangladesh and various ministries.
Building on discussions from the last meeting in Dhaka in November 2023, the two sides examined progress on ongoing initiatives and explored new areas of collaboration to improve border infrastructure. Key points included the development of port facilities at Gede (Darshna in West Bengal) and Bholaganj (Meghalaya), accelerating the clearance of Bangladeshi export cargo at Petrapole (West Bengal) and Agartala, prioritizing integrated check-posts, and exploring the possibility of a common cargo gate at Bhomra (Ghojadanga in West Bengal).
The meeting also addressed the movement of Bangladeshi trucks to Nepal and Bhutan through Burimari and Banglabandha ports and proposed 24×7 operations at select land ports. Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral relations, promoting regional connectivity, and boosting economic growth through collaborative border management.
