Ashuganj port gives India relief

Cargo transport from India’s Kolkata to Agartala via Ashuganj in Bangladesh has proved to be a huge cost saver.

New Delhi Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 6 July 2016, 06:12 AM
Updated : 6 July 2016, 06:12 AM

A government communiqué from India’s Ministry of Shipping on Monday said that this route has not only reduces the circuitous distance of chicken-neck corridor (Siliguri) between mainland India and states in North-Eastern region but also reduces the overall transportation cost of the cargo considerably.

The route witnessed the transit of 1004.410 MT of Steel and TMT bars from Kolkata to Agartala via Ashuganj, Bangladesh. M.V Newtek-6 sailed from Kolkata with steel and TMT bars on Jun 2 and reached Ashuganj on June 14 and was brought to Agartala through Akhuara Border on Jun 20.

“Transit and other fees as mutually agreed under the said protocol was paid at Khulna, Bangladesh,” the release said.

Earlier, movement of Over Dimensional Cargo (ODC) on ONGC for Palatana Power Project and food grains were also transported to Tripura via Ashuganj inland port by Food Corporation of India.

Ashuganj was declared as “Port of Call” under the Protocol on Inland Waterways Transit & Trade (PIWTT) in May, 2010 for transshipment of bulk and break cargo to Tripura and other North-Eastern States namely Manipur, Mizoram and lower Assam.

During the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh, a new version of PIWTT which allows for automatic renewal every five years was signed at Dhaka on June 6 between India and Bangladesh.