Assam Can Supply Electricity To Bangladesh, Says Tripura Chief Minister

At a time when anti-Bangladesh sentiment is brewing in India due to the recent attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Friday that the Assam government was keen to supply its surplus electricity to Bangladesh through Tripura. Addressing a press conference, Saha said that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed his willingness to share the excess electricity. 

"Since 2016, Tripura has been supplying electricity to Bangladesh, and the term of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard will expire in March this year. We may extend the tenure of the MoU further," Saha added.

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Tripura had begun 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. Speaking to NDTV, an official from the Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL) said that the electricity supply (to Bangladesh) sometimes goes up to 160 MW.

"After the first agreement in 2016, we subsequently renewed the agreement twice to continue the supply of electricity to Bangladesh," the official added.

The following developments come as Assam Chief Minister Sarma arrived in Tripura on Thursday for a two-day visit. Sarma 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 further said that he had discussed (with Sarma) the widening of the National Highway connecting Tripura and Assam.