India-Bangladesh opened trade through Maia(West Bengal)-Sultanganj (Bangladesh) river ports on the Ganga river on Monday. Shantanu Thakur, Indian Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways flagged off the First Cargo vessels carrying stones from Maia inland customs port.
At Sultanganj, Bangladesh State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury and the High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Pranay Verma jointly inaugurated Sultanganj, Godagari Port of Call and flagged off a cargo vessel from Sultanganj, Bangladesh to Maia port, India. Speaking on the occasion, the High Commissioner highlighted the new river route as part of the growing trade and connectivity between India and Bangladesh
The riverine distance between Maia port and Sultanganj port is 16km, out of which 4.5km of waterways are in India and the remaining 11.5km are in Bangladesh. The Inland waterway route once operational, 200-300 tonnes of goods can be transported in each cargo, which will lessen the pressure on road transportation, according to an official statement released from the Bangladesh side. When the river port becomes fully operational, this move will lower the prices of different commodities on either side of the border due to the low transportation costs and it will also boost trade and connectivity between India and Bangladesh. Business leaders in Bangladesh said the river port will primarily be used to import stones, fly ash, coal, fruits, Vegetables and spices from India, as well as to export jute and garments.
