India and Bangladesh launched transshipment operations at the Ashuganj port to boost trade and facilitate seamless movement of goods in the landlocked region, with a cargo vessel unloading the maiden consignment to be transported to Tripura through Bangladeshi territory.
Under a revised protocol on "Inland Water Transit and Trade", India and Bangladesh agreed to let each other use their territories for transiting goods to a third country.
Under the arrangement, vessels carrying Indian cargoes will unload at Ashuganj port, from where Bangladeshi trucks will carry the goods to Tripura to be delivered at the Akhaura checkpoint.
The transshipment facility — combining riverine and land routes — will now enable India to deliver goods in an estimated 10-day time and reduce transport cost by nearly 50 percent.