New Delhi: On Tuesday, Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh Praised India for “building a prosperous region together” and also wished for a “successful operation and utilization” for the Maitri Setu which is built on River Feni.

While inaugurating the bridge she said, “50 years ago, in 1971, India opened up its border for Bangladesh’s people to support their freedom struggle; today we are building a prosperous region together. I wish successful operation and utilization of the Feni Maitri Setu”.

In 2010, Manik Sarkar, Former Chief Minister of Tripura put forth the proposal to build the bridge over River Feni. Hasina said, “We considered the request very positively. Since then, the government of Bangladesh has extended all necessary support to the Indian side for the construction of the bridge. Ten years later, today, the bridge is a reality”.

The Feni Bridge will help in the movement of goods between West Bengal and the land-locked Indian northeastern states that can take place through Bangladesh.

The PM of Bangladesh was very happy about the achievement. She said, “Undoubtedly, this is a historic moment, we are creating a new era in South Asia for providing connectivity to India. We are in a region which has remained conservative in opening up and where inter-regional trade is far below potential”.

Even she expressed her willingness to make Dhaka a connectivity hub soon.