Sabroom Maitri Setu: A bridge poised to boost economy of Tripura

"A bridge is poised to herald a new chapter of trade and people-to-people movement between India and Bangladesh that would boost up the economy of the Northeast Indian State of Tripura," Ramprasad Paul, the Minister of Home of Tripura State, told the Daily Observer on Sunday.
He was talking about the "Sabroom Maitri Setu" a bridge between Sabroom (Tripura) and Ramgarh in Chittagong over River Feni. he said, earlier, Agartala operated only two flights on daily basis, now we operate 18 flights, where 70 per cent are Bangladeshi passengers,' this help us to increase our revenue and slash down the cost of Bangladeshi people to visit India from this (Agartala) destination, Ram said during the interview at Hotel River View at Rajshahi.
Ram, Tripura's Home Minister (jail, fire and ES), co-operation, OBC and minorities departments has seen a huge benefit of 'good relationship' between the two countries which could contribute a lot to do good for their nationals.
"Nowadays, business matters a lot. Tripura imports cement, stone, industrial materials and many other things from Bangladesh and exports a little, as per trade balance it is tilted towards Bangladesh's side....it is growing more and more every day," the Indian Minister said.
Ramprashad is now visiting Rajshahi to attend the 5th Bangladesh-India cultural summit along with his wife.
"Track-2 diplomacy is something beyond politics and business. It deals with the feelings and values which people have been cultivating for hundreds and thousands of years. Our (Tripura) language, food habits, dresses and lifestyle is almost the same. This is the area to work together to grow more jointly," Ramprashad said.
Tripura is a hilly state in northeast India, surrounded by Bangladesh on its north, south and west. It also shares borders with Mizoram and Assam-but Bangladesh is the best door for this hilly province of this Indian northern state so far as trade is concerned.
"India do not see any riot during the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s tenure rather it (BJP) made India a solid and more stronger compared to the other regimes under the leadership of the Prime Minister Naredra Modi," Ramprasad Paul said.
BJP is working for the wellbeing of the Indians, not only for the Hindus or any other particular religion group in India, we the BJP people living in the south-east-west and north are trying to accommodate all under a common umbrella which shall make us Indian---where all religion groups-class would feel free to practice their own ideologies, we (BJP) want to support all Indians to take part or enjoy their religion festivals in their own way, Ramprasad said.
Former state Vice President and General Secretary of Tripura BJP and State President Himalaya Parivar, Ramprashad was the member of "Rastra Vokti" since his student life, an undergraduate BJP leader of Agartala is the first generation in state politics of India has obtained BJP's confidence since 1989.
 "Agartala government is funding the Muslim people to perform Holy Hajj, actually we formed a committee over the Hajj issue. This committee formed by the Muslim scholars, they arrange the whole thing, identified the financially incapable people and place a requirement list to us as we are looking after the wellbeing of the minorities, we allocate the Hajj fund in accordance with their suggestion," Tripura Home Minister said.
He said Muslims are nine per cent of the total population of Tripura, Sikh, Christian and Jain are also there along with some indigenous groups, we are looking after them all equally like Hindus, he further said.