In an effort to develop Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya (MBB) Airport in Agartala, the Ministry of External Affairs is learned to have requested Bangladesh to allocate a piece of land in Brahmanbariya district of the neighbouring country to build an extended runway for the airport. This would allow MBB Airport to operate large aircrafts since it is hoped to develop into an international airport soon.
The proposal came through a request by Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, who said if the project is seen through, it would be beneficial for Bangladesh as well as India.
Deb told reporters on the sidelines of a media briefing here that he proposed the central government to take up the request to allocate a piece of land from Bangladesh for an extended runway since MBB Airport holds potential to cater air transport facilities to people of Bangladesh and Tripura alike.
“A lot of Bangladeshi people visit Tripura and go to other states of India via Agartala every year. They can benefit from MBB Airport if we can build a long runway. The airport is already being upgraded. Since it is very close to the border, we have requested for a piece of land, less than 1 km inside the neighbouring border, to build an extended runway. This project will be beneficial to people from both nations,” Deb replied in response to a question.