AGARTALA, June 5 (TIWN): Decks readied at Bangladesh capital Dhaka for the flag off ceremonial programme on June 6 where Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina and avoiding Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar West Bengal, CM Mamata Banarjee would remain present. However, following this on Friday, State transport department has already started its 19-seater air-conditioned mini bus for Dhaka which would again move to Kolkata after the flag off on June 6. Whereas another Kolkata bound ‘Volvo’ bus would come to Tripura’s capital town after the flag off, said the official. Agartala-Dhaka-Kolkata trial run bus had arrived here at Tripura capital town on June 5 by at 10:00 AM. Some of the delegations remained at Dhaka to attend the programme on Saturday. On Friday the bus borrowed from the state tourism department carried a total of 16 members’ delegation team to Dhaka. The 16 members’ delegation team comprise of State Transport Secretary Samarjit Bhowmik, Tripura Road Transport Corporation (TRTC) Managing Director R M Malakar, and seven media persons from different local media organisations along with two drivers and technicians. According to the officials, Tripura Govt. on June 1 asked the Govt. of India through a letter whether Tripura would be included in the flag off ceremony; following which the Govt. of India in reply to the letter on June 3 asked the state govt. to make all necessary arrangements of sending a bus from Agartala on June 6.

However, on June 6 PM Modi-Hasina would flag off two bus services including Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala and another Dhaka-Guwahati direct bus service. Security has been tightened up in wake of PM Modi’s visit to Bangladesh on June 6. WB CM Mamata Banarjee would also remain present during the programme. The flag off would kick a start from 4:00 PM at Bangladesh PMO office.

But, what makes the story interesting here is that Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has not yet received an invitation to attend the Dhaka flag off programme. Though, it is worthy to mention that the agreement would be signed on June 6 for Tripura and West Bengal to run the direct bus service via Bangladesh capital Dhaka.

Following the ‘no invitation’ to Manik Sarkar several murmur could be learnt among the common mass of the state with a section of passengers who would be benefited by the direct bus service eyeing it to be some disgraceful for Tripura.

This has also buzzes Agartala’s people that non-involvement of Manik Sarkar in the flag off ceremonial programme might cause slow pace in the ambitious plan of Modi to run direct bus between Tripura and Kolkata.   

The officials of Bangladesh, West Bengal and Tripura government met here on Tuesday and discussed various details including bus fare. The meeting remained inconclusive as all the details would be finalised at the appropriate level of India and Bangladesh government

The proposed Agartala-Kolkata bus service via Bangladesh is expected to facilitate the people of the mountainous northeastern region to reach Kolkata and visit 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.