Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday visited Srimantapur Integrated Land Port (ICP) in Tripura’s Sepahijala district, an official said. ”The Union Minister, who had inaugurated Srimantapur ICP in Sonamura subdivision in 2016 as the Minister of State for Commerce, visited the integrated land port and a jetty built on the banks of Gomati river. She was happy to come across the use of the ICP- both in terms of trade and passengers,” chief commissioner of central excise, Northeast, Yogendra Garg, told reporters. Sitharaman, who inaugurated the GST building here on Friday, also held a meeting with the officials of customs and land ports authority of India (LPAI) to know about the bilateral trade volume and other facilities to boost trade and business. He said a permanent jetty will be built on the banks of river Gomati (to facilitate inland water connectivity from Sonamura to Daudkandi in Bangladesh). The Centre has already sanctioned Rs 6.50 crore to construct a permanent jetty to facilitate bilateral trade through the ICP. On being asked about dredging from Sonamura to Daudkandhi (Bangladesh), he said it will be done on the basis of trade potential and the process will be a contributory sort. The 94-km proposed waterway from Sonamura to Daudkandi needs to undergo dredging to increase water level for free movement of vessels. A ship carrying 10MT cement from Minabazar in Bangladesh to Sonamura via Daudkandi, which was seen as a trial run for the proposed waterway, was stuck in the river because of low water level on September 5, 2020. Garg also laid emphasis on fencing of the 6.50 km Indo-Bangla border to contain narcotic smuggling.
