 "First Kolkata- Agartala bus service via Dhaka reaches destination")
The first direct bus between Kolkata and Agartala, which traverses across Bangladesh, crossing two international border checkpoints, reached its destination in Tripura on Tuesday afternoon.
The first group of passengers to travel in 45-seater air conditioned Volvo were a 10-member delegation led by Principal Secretary (Transport) of West Bengal, Alapan Bandhopadhyay.
Bandhopadhyay said that West Bengal Government was delighted to see this new route materialize.
"I find many joint secretaries of Bangladesh have joined us today in this trial run. Senior officials the Central Government along with the officials from Tripura have joined us. We see a tripartite ebullience which is definitely a signature of this breakthrough," he said.
The Kolkata-Agartala bus left West Bengal capital on Monday from the Karunamoyee International Bus Terminus and made a stopover in Dhaka on the same day to take on board a nine-member delegation from Bangladesh.
The bus left Dhaka this morning and reached at the Akhaura Integrated Check Post here at noon.
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The delegates were received by Agartala Mayor Prafullajit Sinha along with District Magistrate of West Tripura district Dr Milind Ramteke and Superintendent of Police Bijoy Nag among others.
Joint Secretary of Bangladesh's road transport and highways department, Abdul Rouf Khan, said that opening of the new route will benefit both India and Bangladesh.
"The bus service is very much beneficial for Bangladesh as well as India. Bangladesh has already launched bus service from Dhaka to Kolkata and Guwahati and today we are running from bus from Kolkata to Dhaka and Agartala. The road communication is very much fine and useful. The relation between Bangladesh and India is in the top of history now," Khan said.
The new direct bus service via Dhaka would greatly reduce the time and distance of travel between Agartala and Kolkata. The distance of 1650 kilometres will now come down to just over 500 kms.
Earlier the commurters had to traverse the whole of the northeast to go from Kolkata to Agartala.
The Agartala-Kolkata bus service is likely to be flagged-off during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Dhaka between June 6 and June 7 in presence of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.