Agartala: Bangladesh Home Secretary CQK Mustaq Ahmed on Monday said talks are on between India and Bangladesh for a direct bus service from Agartala to Kolkata via Dhaka.
"Talks are on for the bus service and I think it is possible and maintaining security would not be a problem," he told reporters while visiting Akhaura Land Custom Station here along with his Indian counterpart RK Singh.
Ahmed also said that both the countries under Commerce Ministry level were discussing about transit through Bangladesh.
Recently, Surface Transport and Highway (MoSTH) Secretary, AK Upadhyay told reporters here that India had proposed in diplomatic level for a direct Agartala-Kolkata bus service via Dhaka considering the geographical isolation of many north eastern states including Tripura.
When the distance between Agartala and Kolkata through Assam and Meghalaya is about 1800 km it would be reduced to 350 km by bus or any road transport and could be approachable by a day.
At present there are bus services from Agartala to Dhaka and Dhaka to Kolkata and vice versa, but there is no direct bus service.
Meanwhile, India completed the final survey for the 11.5 km line to lay the rail link between Akhaura in Bangladesh and Agartala, the state capital, a project which New Delhi plans to implement for linking railways between the two countries, official sources said.
Railway Ministry started making the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the project and the Centre has sanctioned Rs 2.52 crore for laying the railway tracks to connect West Bengal and Tripura through Bangladesh.
During Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina`s visit to New Delhi in January 2010, India and Bangladesh had agreed to lay the tracks between Akhaura and Agartala.
PTI
