India-Bangladesh border trade reopens in Assam after four years
Mankachar: The border trade and immigration centre along the India-Bangladesh boundary in South Salmara district of Assam, which had been closed for the past four years due to COVID-19 pandemic, officially reopened on Thursday (July 25).
The reopening ceremony saw the presence of Assam AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam and senior district officials.
MLA Aminul Islam stated the hardships faced by students, traders, and patients who sought medical treatment from Bangladesh due to the centre's closure.
“The closure of the centre led to great difficulties, forcing people from the lower and central parts of Assam to travel to Bangladesh either via Meghalaya’s Dawki or through Kolkata, causing immense inconvenience,” he stated.
The reopening of this centre will ease cross-border movement and trade between the two countries.
Assam now has two functional immigration centres for Bangladesh — one at Sutarkandi in Karimganj district, which had also been closed during the pandemic but reopened later, and the other at Mankachar.
Assam shares a 262-km-long border with Bangladesh.
