The goal of opening the Rajshahi-Murshidabad river route on Monday is to improve trade and commerce between Bangladesh and India, two of its neighbors.
The Sultanganj River Port, located in the district’s Godagari Upazila, is scheduled to open with the primary goal of enhancing commercial and trade relations between the two nations.
According to Muhammad Shah Alam, Sub Assistant Engineer of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), the Padma River will initially link the river port to the Maya Port in Murshidabad, India.
The river port will be officially opened by State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury in the presence of Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka, Pranay Verma.
Among others, Presidium Member of Bangladesh Awami League and Rajshahi Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, Omar Faruk Chowdhury, MP, and BIWTA Chairman Commodore Afir Ahmed Mostafa will also attend the programme.
Shah Alam said the river port is going to launch under the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT) as part of the trade agreement between Bangladesh and India.
The protocol was signed in 1972 and renewed on March 31, 2020, to ensure that both countries benefit from their waterways for trade and commerce, he added.
This path only covers a distance of 17 kilometers. 200–300 tonnes of cargo can be carried in each load during the dry season. Transportation of products will be a little more challenging during the monsoon because of the strong river current.
On the day of the inauguration, a small ship carrying two tonnes of cotton will sail from Sultanpur port to Maya port; the cargo return from India will be verified in the coming days,” he continued.
Prior to the inauguration, a control place has already been set up at the port, according to BIWTA Assistant Engineer Shah Alam.
A strategy for the direct loading and unloading of cargo onto ships is another.
Mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation AHM Khairuzzaman Liton said they have been working to set up the river port for a long time. It finally happened because of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s sincere efforts.
It will generate job opportunities and lower the prices of different commodities due to the low transportation costs when the river port becomes fully operational.
Mayor Liton said the government has plans to extend the river route to Mongla port and conduct joint capital dredging for the river’s navigability by India and Bangladesh.
President of Exporters’ and Importers’ Association of Chapainawabganj Kazi Shahabuddin said a 500-tonne capacity barge in the river is equivalent to 25 trucks on the road, and barges use less fuel oil. Prices of goods will naturally fall.
According to business experts, the river port would be mainly utilized for the import of coal, fly ash, stones, fruits, and spices from India, along with the export of clothing and jute.
Masudur Rahman, President of the Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stated that in order to fully reap the benefits of the river port, the river must be dug up as it is no longer navigable.
Additionally, he recommended that the riverport’s connectivity be later extended to the ports of Mongla, Ruppur in Pabna, and Rajshahi city.
