Trial run signals resumption of Agartala–Kolkata bus service via Dhaka

Tripura Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury today (22 February) said the trial run for resuming the passenger bus service between Agartala and Kolkata via Dhaka, which had remained suspended for a year due to political turmoil in Bangladesh, was a "positive sign" for the northeastern state.

The bus service, operated by private operator Royal-Maitri International, conducted a trial run yesterday (21 February) by operating a bus from Agartala to Kolkata via Dhaka.

"The situation in Bangladesh is changing after the formation of a new government through an election," Sushanta told reporters in Agartala.

Manoranjan Debnath, manager of the Royal-Maitri International bus service, said the full-fledged bus service is set to resume soon.

Manoranjan said that since the agreement between India and Bangladesh, signed in 2001, has not been cancelled, there is no need for fresh permissions to recommence the services.

He said the trial would continue for three more days before the regular service is reintroduced.

"Once the system is stable, we will restart bus service three times a week," he added.

According to Manoranjan, the bus services were halted following an acute shortage of passengers due to "some unavoidable issues." He said the number of passengers had fallen to an all-time low.

Along with this, visa issues also prompted the shutdown. "With the situation improving in Bangladesh, we want to resume bus service from next week," Manoranjan said.

The bus, covering a distance of 155km from Dhaka, reached Agartala through the Akhaura Integrated Check Post on Friday (20 February) and returned to Dhaka from the Tripura Road Transport Corporation (TRTC) depot in Agartala yesterday morning, completing the cross-border trial run.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha also welcomed the initiative, saying the uncertainty is over in Bangladesh after the formation of an elected government.

"This is a good sign in bilateral ties. We hope other issues will also be addressed," Saha told reporters.

The fare for the roughly 500km journey from Agartala to Kolkata via Dhaka is Rs2,800. A train from Agartala needs to travel 1,567km to reach Kolkata via Guwahati.

An Indian official said that tourist visa services from Bangladesh to Agartala will also be initiated soon.