Biplab Kumar Deb push for waterway link to Bangladesh

AGARTALA: Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Tuesday directed his officials to undertake time-bound actions regarding the inland waterway connections with Bangladesh through the Gomati River. He also informed that a joint technical committee has been set up regarding the inland waterway navigability and hydraulics.
Reviewing development projects, Deb has instructed his officials to hold elaborate discussions with the Inland Waterways Authority of India on reports of the Joint Technical Committee and expedite project implementation work.
A survey has indicated that an 18-km-long stretch, of which 15 km falls in Bangladesh, needs to be dredged for inland water communication. The Centre has agreed to bear the expenditure for dredging work in the Gomati both in India and Bangladesh.
Union minister of shipping and waterways Nitin Gadkari had cleared the pending project last year following persuasion from the chief minister. Officials also informed that a few other proposals regarding river bed management of some major rivers, streams and waterbodies of the state were also undertaken by the state government for checking flash floods and increasing navigability.
Talking about augmenting milk production in the state, the chief minister said he has directed the animal resource development department to accelerate the distribution of 10,000 cows among 5,000 families in selected localities. He added that necessary funds have been earmarked for the project, which was supposed to be implemented by the first quarter of the year.
At the meeting, the officials apprised the chief minister of 21,500 hectares of cropland being identified as 'high risk' zones where natural calamities cause huge losses to farmers every year. The state government has decided to insure crops under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana free of cost so that the farmers don't incur losses from the next season.
Deb was further told that the forest department has introduced provisions of three separate passes to facilitate export of bamboo under Tripura Forest Transit Rules, after the latest improvisation in the Forest Act last year.