Agartala-Akhaura railway link will remove Tripura's geographical isolation, says Goyal

Agartala: The Agartala-Akhaura railway link would remove Tripura's geographical isolation to a large extent, Union Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday.

The 15.6-km-long railway link will connect Gangasagar under Akhaura sub-division of Brahmanbaria district of Bangladesh with Nischintapur in India, and from there to Agartala station. Tripura has been witnessing a massive change in infrastructure development like air connectivity, waterway, railway and national highway, he said while addressing the first edition of 'Destination Tripura', an Investment Summit from Delhi, on virtual platform.

Tripura had remained neglected of holistic development for 35 years but the things have started changing over the past few years. Now, the state is all set to have a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in South Tripura's Sabroom , the Union Commerce and Industries minister said. Goyal said Tripura would soon become a gateway to the entire Northeast with a number of critical projects in the pipeline.

The Rs. 972 crore Agartala-Akhaura railway project will give a new pace to the state's development process , he said. Once the railway link is made operational, the distance from Kolkata to Agartala would be reduced to less than 500 km which is now around 1100 km via Assam, experts say. Goyal also lauded Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb for offering a lot to the investors for industrialization in the state.

With 30 per cent subsidy on capital investment, 50 per cent subsidy on electricity and GST free for five years, the state has become an ideal place for trade and business , he said.

Goyal also highlighted the Centre's Act East policy for holistic development in the Northeast, as the region was largely ignored by the erstwhile regimes. Whenever Modi ji launches any new scheme, he always ensures Northeastern states get their due share. He wants to develop the Northeast as Ashta Laxmi",

Goyal added.