The Indo-Bangla border trade and immigration centre in Assam’s South Salmara district, which had been closed for four years due to the Covid pandemic, officially reopened on Thursday.
The reopening event was attended by senior district officials, who underlined the challenges the centre’s closure had imposed on local residents. The extended hiatus had led to significant difficulties for students, traders, and patients from Bangladesh, who were forced to take alternative routes through Meghalaya or Kolkata.
Assam operates two immigration centres for Bangladesh: one at Sutarkandi in Karimganj district, which had also been closed during the pandemic but reopened earlier, and the other at Mankachar. The State shares a 262-km-long border with Bangladesh.
