Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said his government is prioritizing the development of waterways in the country so that trade and goods’ movement could be done smoothly, reported BD24. 

“We are making our river waterways more developed and mobile by restoring the navigability of our rivers so that we can transport goods very smoothly both domestically and internationally. We are paying special attention to that,” Hasina said while addressing the cadets of Bangladesh Marine Academy. 

“Bangladesh is a riverine country,” she said, adding the unfortunately those who came to power after 1975 didn’t pay attention to this direction. 

“Since coming to power, the Awami League has taken initiatives and achieved huge maritime boundaries, which can be utilized for the economic development of the country,” she said. “Moreover, our Bay of Bengal is a very important channel. Many of the world's businesses run through there,” she added. 

Regionally, both India and Bangladesh, recently, made efforts to boost trade through waterways. Last year in September, the two nations also operationalized trade through waterways connecting Tripura to Bangladesh. 

India, too, allowed a transit permit to Bhutan for trading goods to Bangladesh using its waterways.