BY TC News Desk
Agartala, 24th August 2025: Transport and Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury today voiced deep concern over the stalled India-Bangladesh connectivity projects, warning that the halt could derail Tripura’s development momentum and weaken the spirit of the Act East Policy.
Speaking at the 19th Annual General Meeting of the Indian Building Congress (IBC) Tripura Centre in Agartala, Chowdhury said that key cross-border infrastructure works at Nischintapur and Sabroom, built with investments worth thousands of crores, have come to a “standstill,” casting uncertainty over Tripura’s aspiration to emerge as a gateway to Southeast Asia.
“We have always treated Bangladesh as our brother and close neighbour. It is disheartening to see such important projects stuck at this juncture. We sincerely hope that peace, prosperity, and harmony will soon be restored between the two nations so that connectivity efforts can resume,” the minister remarked.
Chowdhury reminded that the Act East Policy, transformed from the earlier Look East Policy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had significantly strengthened Northeast India’s integration with the region. Tripura, he said, has reaped visible benefits of the “double-engine government,” but warned that progress risks slowing down if cross-border corridors remain inactive.
He also emphasized that development cannot be confined to roads and buildings alone but must expand to railways, national highways, waterways, and integrated infrastructure that links the state to both the rest of India and neighbouring countries. At the same time, the minister lauded the role of engineers in executing the state’s development roadmap, calling them the “backbone” of Tripura’s infrastructure transformation.
