Guwahati:
At a time when anti-Bangladesh sentiment is rising in India following recent attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Friday said that the Assam government is keen to supply its surplus electricity to Bangladesh through Tripura. Addressing a press conference, Saha stated that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had expressed his willingness to share excess power.
“Since 2016, Tripura has been supplying electricity to Bangladesh, and the current Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard will expire in March this year. We may consider extending the tenure of the MoU further,” Saha added.
Tripura began supplying 100 MW of power to Bangladesh from the state-owned ONGC Tripura Power Company (OTPC) power plant in the Gomati district in March 2016. An official from the Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL) told NDTV that electricity supply sometimes rises to 160 MW.
“After the initial agreement in 2016, we renewed the MoU twice to continue the supply of electricity to Bangladesh,” the official added.
These developments come as Assam Chief Minister Sarma arrived in Tripura on Thursday for a two-day visit. He had dinner with Saha at the latter’s official bungalow on Thursday night, during which the chief ministers discussed issues concerning their states.
During Friday’s press conference, Manik Saha also mentioned that he discussed plans with Sarma to widen the National Highway connecting Tripura and Assam. (Agencies)
