Agartala, February 20, 2025: The much-anticipated dredging work on the Gomati River to establish a vital inland waterway link between Tripura’s Sonamura and Bangladesh’s Daudkandi has commenced, Matabari MLA Abhishek Debroy confirmed on Thursday.

“The dredging work has started from Maharani in Gomati district and will extend up to Sonamura to connect with Daudkandi in Bangladesh. The project is expected to be completed within a year,” Debroy said.

The ambitious project aimed at strengthening inland water transport infrastructure, involves dredging a 54-kilometer stretch from Maharani to Sonamura at an estimated cost of ₹19.50 crore. The MLA further stated that out of the eight planned jetties along the route, seven have already been constructed.

Debroy highlighted the strategic importance of this initiative, stating that the government envisions establishing a seamless waterway link from Maharani to Daudkandi via Sonamura, thereby boosting Tripura’s global connectivity. “The Sonamura-Daudkandi route was declared an additional port of call under the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) in 2020, and this project will make it fully operational,” he added.

“If this waterway is successfully connected, vessels from Sonamura will be able to travel to Kolkata Port via Daudkandi, transforming the region’s trade and connectivity landscape,” Debroy emphasized.

Taking a dig at the opposition, the BJP MLA said that critics had earlier dismissed the idea of an inland waterway linking Tripura to Kolkata via Bangladesh. “The commencement of dredging on the Gomati River marks the first step in fulfilling yet another strategic commitment,” he asserted.