C T Online Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi are expected to jointly inaugurate the 1320 MegaWatt Maitree Super Thermal Power Station in the first week of September.
The power station is expected to be inaugurated during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s three-day visit to India, reports The Hindustan Times on Sunday.
While PM Hasina is expected to visit India any time between September 5 and 7 and stay for two to three days, the visit has been accorded utmost importance by the Modi government as Dhaka happens to be one of India’s closest allies.
Considered to be Bangladesh’s largest power plant, the coal-fired station is being set up by Bangladesh India Friendship Power Company Limited, a 50:50 joint venture between India’s NTPC and Bangladesh Power Development Board. The project is worth US$ 1.5 billion.
Meanwhile, trial runs between Kolkata-Chattogram-Mongla ports for India Bangladesh trade will begin posting a new chapter in the bilateral ties.
The first vessel from Kolkata is expected to reach Mongla, on Pashur River, on August 5 carrying 16 tons of iron pipes in a container with destination Meghalaya using the Tamabil-Dwaki border points and 8.5 tons of pre-foam in another container for Assam using the Birbirbazaar-Srimantpur border points.
This exercise will create cheaper and alternative routes for India to reach its North-East region while at the same time carrying export-import containers for Bangladesh.
