Tripura LoP: 'No dialogue possible now', but hopeful on Maitri Setu opening

Leader of Opposition in the Tripura Assembly, Jitendra Chaudhury, has raised concerns over the continued delay in operationalising the Maitri Setu bridge, a key infrastructure project aimed at enhancing India-Bangladesh connectivity through the Northeast.

The 1.9-km bridge, built at a cost of Rs 133 crore, connects Sabroom in South Tripura to Ramgarh in Bangladesh. Despite being inaugurated in March 2021, it remains non-operational more than four years later. The bridge is seen as crucial to boosting trade and people-to-people ties, with its strategic location just 72 km from the Chittagong port offering direct access to global shipping routes.

“The present situation in the neighbouring country might be detrimental to operationalising the bridge now, but I am optimistic that it will be opened in future. But at present, I do not see any possibility of dialogue between the two countries on the matter,” Chaudhury told reporters during a visit to Sabroom on Tuesday.

Chaudhury, a senior CPI(M) leader and politburo member, attributed the delay not only to the political situation in Bangladesh but also to what he described as a lack of urgency from the ruling BJP in Tripura. He accused the state leadership of failing to push the Centre to act decisively on the matter.

“Heeding people's wishes, the previous Left Front government had started the process of building the bridge for the movement of people and goods,” he said. “However, it is yet to be operationalised due to the lackadaisical attitude of the BJP's state leadership, which has also failed to make the Centre realise the importance of the bridge.”

The political backdrop in Bangladesh is also cited as a factor. The Maitri Setu and a ₹230-crore integrated check-post in Sabroom were expected to bolster cross-border trade. However, progress stalled following the political transition in Bangladesh after the Sheikh Hasina-led government was voted out in August last year.

Chaudhury said his earlier visit to Ramgarh as an MP had revealed broad political differences within Bangladesh. While former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina supported the project, he claimed the opposition BNP resisted granting India access via the route.

Responding to questions about recent restrictions on imports from Bangladesh, he noted that tensions following incidents like the Pahalgam terror attack had escalated border sensitivities. “There is also an anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh. I guess the restriction on imports from Bangladesh is a temporary measure,” he added. (PTI)