The Union Commerce Ministry has notified the setting up of the first ever Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Tripura with an estimated investment of Rs 1,550 crore, an official said in Agartala in December.

An official of Tripura’s Industries Department said the Union Commerce Ministry earlier this week has notified the setting up of the first ever SEZ at Paschim Jalefa, near the border town of Sabroom in south Tripura with an estimated investment of Rs 1,550 crore. The official said that the developer of the SEZ would be the state owned Tripura Industrial Development Corp (TSIDC), while an estimated 12,000 skilled jobs would be generated from this proposed SEZ. According to the official, rubber-based industries, textile and apparel industries, bamboo and agri-food processing industries would be set-up in the SEZ, which is expected to open up new avenues to attract private investment considering the proximity of Bangladesh’s Chittagong international port and the construction of the bridge across Feni river in southern Tripura.

The under-construction bridge, expected to be completed by March next year, would connect the Northeastern state with southeast Bangladesh and facilitate easier surface communication to ferry goods to and fro the Northeastern region using the Chittagong sea port, which is around 70 km from Tripura’s border town Sabroom.