AGARTALA, June 3 (TIWN): A tripartite meeting among the delegations of Tripura Government, Bangladesh Government and West Bengal Government held at Agartala State Guest House, “Sonartori” taking up certain issues of Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala direct bus service, slated to be flagged off on June 6 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banarjee. The meeting was held after the Kolkata bus arrived here at Tripura capital via Dhaka as part of trial run. Talking to the media persons after the meeting state Transport Minister Manik Dey said, “The tripartite meeting held on Tuesday called for the development of tourism in the North eastern region and other parts of the nation". Adding to that Dey said, “Direct bus service via Dhaka would further strengthen the Indo-Bangla relation and it would facilitate the people of the North eastern region at large.”Asked about the fare to be charged from passengers, Dey said, “Goverment of Bangladesh and Government of India would jointly hold a meeting to decide the fare to be charged from the passengers who avail the bus to travel to Kolkata from Agartala and from Kolkata to Agartala.” Bangladesh Road Transport and Highways Division's joint secretary Mohammad Abdur Rouf Khan, who led a nine-member Bangladesh delegation, on arrival here said the roads connecting Bangladesh and India were good and favourable.

Stating that "India-Bangladesh relations are now at the historic moment", Khan said: "The bus service between India and Bangladesh would further strengthen the relationship between the people of two countries." 

From  sources , fare will be approx. Rs 1400 to 2000.

However, besides according to the officials another tripartite meeting would be held to undertake the issues related to the direct bus service.

Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala bus arrived here on Tuesday as part of the trial run carrying the officials of West Bengal Government and Bangladesh Government officials.

The 45-seated air-conditioned Volvo bus alongwith Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) Shyamali bus first arrived at Agartala Akhaura Check Post and later the two arrived at Agartala International Bus Terminus of Tripura Road Transport Corporation (TRTC). Bus will return from Agartala on June 3 morning and reach Kolkata on the same day.

Govt. of India had also green signalled the Tripura govt. to trial run its bus from Agartala to Kolkata via Dhaka. Following which Tripura readied the deck to ply a TRTC bus on June 3 which would carry the delegations from Tripura under the leadership of State Secretary for Transport Samarjit Bhowmik.

The bus would start from 6:00 AM and would cross the Bangladesh-West Bengal border after evening and is expected to reach Kolkata Salt Lake at around 10:00 PM on the very day.

According to the schedule provided by the officials here on June 4 the Agartala bus would return to Dhaka and after a night halt on the very day at Dhaka carrying all the 8 members’ team of Transport department here the bus would return to Agartala on June 5.

The 8 members’ team under the leadership of Transport Secreary Bhowmik comprises of SP Special Branch Arindam Nath, Tripura Urban Transport Corporation (TUTC) Managing Director Ratan Biswas along with other two drivers and mechanics.
West Bengal transport department principal secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay, who led his government's official team, said: "After the introduction of the bus service, people of India and Bangladesh would come closer to each other." 

"West Bengal government is very much enthused to launch the bus service between Agartala and Kolkata via Bangladesh."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina are scheduled to flag off the bus services between Agartala and Kolkata via Bangladesh and Dhaka and Guwahati during Modi's two-day visit to the neighbouring country from June 6.

A similar trial run on the Dhaka-Sylhet-Tamabil-Dawki-Shillong-Guwahati route was conducted on May 22-26 to study the road conditions and other navigational issues. First trial run on the 500-km route was held in December last year.

The proposed Agartala-Kolkata bus service via Bangladesh is expected to facilitate the visits of the people of the mountainous northeastern region to other Indian states, reducing the distance by over 1,000 km.

The distance between Agartala and Kolkata via Guwahati by road is 1,650 km. But the distance between Agartala and Kolkata via Bangladesh is only around 500 km.

As part of a similar trial run, a Tripura Road Transport Corporation (TRTC) bus will leave here for Kolkata via Dhaka on Wednesday.

The cross-border bus service was approved at a recent meeting between Bangladesh Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader and Indian Minister Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi.

Tripura's Transport Minister Manik Dey said the state government has been demanding direct bus service between Tripura and other northeastern states and Kolkata through Bangladesh for a long time for easy movement of people from the region.

"Since March 2010, a series of meetings were held between the officials of the ministries of external affairs and road transport and highways, and Tripura and West Bengal governments and other organisations," Dey said.

"Currently, the Agartala-Dhaka and Dhaka-Agartala bus services are being run for four days a week and the periodicity is likely to be increased due to the demand of the Kolkata-bound passengers," a Tripura transport department official said.