The river trade route between Rajshahi in Bangladesh and Murshidabad in India was opened on 12 February 2024 to strengthen trade between the two countries. The launching of the route would allow for the transport of commodities at a low cost, which will benefit traders from Bangladesh and India.

The Sultanganj Port of Call in Godagari Upazila, Bangladesh, also resumed operations to serve the river trade route and strengthen trade and economic ties between Bangladesh and India. The Sultanganj river port was inaugurated as part of a trade and commerce agreement between Bangladesh and India, under the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT). The PIWTT allows inland vessels to transit through specified routes within Bangladesh and India.

To mark the inauguration, a small ship with two tonnes of cotton as cargo left Sultanpur port for Maya Port of Murshidabad.

Mr. Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Minister of State for Shipping of the Government of Bangladesh, Mr. AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, Presidium Member of Bangladesh Awami League and Rajshahi Mayor, and Mr. Pranay Verma, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Commodore Afir Ahmed Mostafa, chair of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority, and Members of Parliament Omar Faruk Chowdhury, Asaduzzaman Asad, Abdul Wadud, and Abul Kalam attended the inauguration of the river route and the Sultanganj Port.

• Rajshahi-Murshidabad river route reopens after 55 years