AGARTALA, May 27 – Recognising the need to enhance border trade between India and Bangladesh, US Consul General in Kolkata George N Sibley has said a transit route through Bangladesh, connecting Tripura with Kolkata, should be worked out to explore “untapped resources” of the northeastern State, reports PTI.
The geography has brought Bangladesh and northeastern region of India closer. There is a huge potential for border trade between the two countries and "land-locked" Tripura can be connected with Kolkata with a transit route through Bangladesh, he told reporters yesterday. The Indian and Bangladeshi Governments should work out a policy for border trade and transit route between the two countries, he added.
There are massive "untapped resources" in Tripura which can be explored by attracting expertise and investors from outside and there can also be gas-based industries because of the huge recoverable reserve of natural gas, Sibley said. Sibley, on a three-day visit here to assess opportunities and problems of the area, said the abundance of pineapple which can be used as a raw material in several industries can be a boon. However, the problem is of "geograhpical isolation" of the area.
Sibley praised Tripura's handicraft products saying these can find a market anywhere in the world. He also offered his country's technical expertise for solid waste managment in the State.