Sunday, February 19 2006 11:40 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: After the train to Pakistan, there is a demand for yet another cross border link, this time on the eastern frontier, with Tripura seeking rail services to Bangladesh.

"Indian railway should be linked with Bangladesh railway system initially through Agartala. India should be prepared to invest on such upgradation to carry Indian traffic. India should also offer to assist Myanmar to extend railways parallel to Mizoram," Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said here yesterday (Feb 18,2006).

Before independence, Tripura had excellent transportation links with the erstwhile East Bengal and through it, with West Bengal. The straight distance between Agartala and Kolkata is only about 350 km. Many large towns in Bangladesh are within 150 km from the towns in Tripura.

"The goodwill and intention expressed in the National Common Minimum Programme for development of road/rail infrastructure in the North East should be harnessed by integrating these broad development activities in the road map for development," Sarkar said.

During the recent years, a number of initiatives have been taken at the Government level as well as by the business community aimed at re-establishing the historian links Tripura had with Bangladesh.