Key Takeaways
- The Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport must be upgraded to International status to enable direct flights to Bangladesh.
- Tripura seeks regular Agartala-Akhaura Cross Border Rail Link services to boost trade and tourism.
- SpiceJet is ready to operate thrice‑weekly flights, pending immigration facilities.
- Both central ministers Shah and Vaishnaw have been urged to expedite approvals for faster connectivity.
Agartala: Tripura Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury on Wednesday wrote two separate letters to Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah and Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw, seeking action to open up flight connectivity and railway services between Tripura and Bangladesh.
In a letter to Shah, Chowdhury requested two actions:
1. Notify Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport as an International airport.
2. Install an immigration check post.
These steps would allow Agartala-Chittagong International flight operations to start immediately.
He mentioned that the Ministry of Home Affairs (Immigration Division) had earlier requisitioned the deployment of 25 police personnel (20 sub-inspectors and 5 constables) in different ranks for the smooth functioning of the immigration counter at MBB Airport.
Accordingly, the state government has already deputed 10 police personnel in different ranks to start the functioning of the Bureau of Immigration.
“The state government is ready to extend more police as and when required,” the letter indicated. Earlier, SpiceJet had agreed to run passenger flights three times a week between Agartala and Chittagong, and the state government has also assured to provide a gap grant to make the service sustainable and affordable for the people of both countries. However, it has been stalled for more than a year due to the non-availability of immigration facilities at the airport.
In a separate letter to Union Railway Minister Vaishnaw, Chowdhury requested to ensure regular goods/passengers train services in the newly inaugurated Agartala-Akhaura Cross Border Rail Link Project to push economic growth and prosperity in the region.
“It will facilitate the movement of people as well as the transportation of goods, contribute significantly to the development of tourism, industry, and trade, and open up new avenues for investments, job creation, and improved quality of life in the region,” the letter stated.
