AGARTALA, June 1 (TIWN): A trial run of the Kolkata-Agartala direct bus service via Dhaka has begun on Monday. The bus has departed from Kolkata and will cross over to Bangladesh later in the day and travel through the country and enter Tripura through the Akhaura check post and arrive at Agartala International Bus Terminus of Tripura Road Transport Corporation (TRTC) at around 11 am on Tuesday.The bus will return from Agartala on June 3 in the morning and reach Kolkata on the same day. The total travel time is around 14 to 16 hours including formalities at the immigration centers. Talking to TIWN, Transport Secretary, Samarjit Bhowmik said that the bus had departed from Kolkata at 12.00 in the afternoon and after passing the West Bengal Petrapol and Bangladesh Benapol landport, the bus will travel through Puturiabari-Manikbari-Manikganj and reach Dhaka in the evening.Secretary Bhowmik further said that a 10 member delegation team headed by Alapan Bandopadhaya will hold talks during the staying at Dhaka. From there the bus will reach Tripura through Akhaura Check Post with 10 members’ delegation team from Kolkata with additional 10-12 members from Bangladesh also.

It is to be mentioned that the opening of Agartala-Kolkata bus service via Dhaka will be reduced the journey up to 1,000km. The distance between Agartala-Kolkata via Assam is 1650 km. But with the inauguration of new route the distance will be 531km.

It may be recalled here that, if the bus service started, then it will be extremely helpful for import-export and developing friendly relations. Since the 1980s, the Indian and Bangladeshi governments have sought to negotiate an agreement permitting commercial vehicles to pass through Bangladeshi highways in order to reach the northeastern states of India from the west; a concept described in India as the "Bangla Corridor”. Such an arrangement is being promoted for its benefit to bilateral commerce, the transport cost reduction for Indian businesses and additional revenue for Bangladesh. 

In 2006, both governments began working on a proposal to provide a bus service directly connecting Kolkata with Agartala, the capital of the Indian state of Tripura but a direct road link via Dhaka would shorten the travelling distance to an estimated 400 km (249 mi) considerably reducing the costs of transport for Indian businesses, which have to transport goods and service

As per reports, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Bangladesh on June 6, will sign the formal agreement of Agartala-Kolkata direct bus service with Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina.

India and Bangladesh will finalise the passenger bus service between Guwahati-Dhaka via Shillong during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bangladesh next month, a Bangladeshi official said here on Monday.
The proposed bus service, which covers approximately 500 km, will traverse from Guwahati via Shillong and then proceed to the southern slopes of Meghalaya's Dawki international trading before entering Tamabil (Bangladesh)-Sylhet-Dhaka route. "The final decision to start the Guwahati-Shillong-Dhaka passenger bus service will be decided by both the governments (India and Bangladesh) during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Dhaka next month," Bangladesh Road Transport and Highways Division Joint Secretary Azharul Islam Khan told journalists here.

Khan, who is leading a 22-member Bangladesh delegation for the trial run of the passenger bus service, said an agreement and a protocol were also likely to be signed between India and Bangladesh before the service was introduced.

On May 22, Bangladesh officials started the trial run of the bus service on a Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation bus from Dhaka but failed to reach Assam's Guwahati city on time due to bad road connectivity.
Khan said the passenger bus service will be a "win-win situation" for people of both the countries.

India and Bangladesh presently have two regular bus services, one between West Bengal's Kolkata and Dhaka and the other between Tripura's Agartala and Dhaka.