About 8,480km of Bangladesh's waterways can be used for transportation: State Minister

About 8,480km of Bangladesh's waterways can be used for transportation and goods distribution between Bangladesh, India, Bhutan, and Nepal, said State Minister of Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury.

"There are 700 rivers in Bangladesh, out of which 54 are in the Indo-Bangladesh border", said the state minister while virtually attending the "Waterways Conclave 2022" held in Dibrugarh, Assam, reports the Economic Times.

The two-day event was organised by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways of India and the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) in Dibrugarh, Assam.

India's Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said, "We could anchor robust business relations with our neighbouring nations through the optimal and holistic development of the ecosystem of waterways. Within a radius of 2,000km we have all big cities with a combined population of 800 million. Waterways could provide the greatest opportunities for our young entrepreneurs."

Sanjay Bandopadhyaya, chairman of IWAI said, "We are not only trying to connect with the neighbouring countries but also with all the states of this region and extending to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odissa."

Among the Indian ministers who spoke at the session were – Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Tourism, Culture and Development Minister G Kishan Reddy, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, State Minister for External Affairs Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, State Minister for Labor and Employment Rameswar Teli, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, Bhutanese Economy Minister Lyonpo Loknath Sharma and Minister of Manipur Awangbo Newmai.