Government resumes Agartala-Kolkata bus service via Dhaka after 2-year Covid-19 pandemic hiatus

The fare from Agartala to Kolkata via Dhaka will be Rs 2,300 per passenger, including travelling tax, while it will be Rs 1,000 from Tripura capital to Dhaka, as per PTI's report.

Image Source- Twitter

After a two-year suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Agartala-Kolkata bus route via Dhaka has restarted. At the integrated check station in Akhaura, State Transport Minister Pranajit Singha Roy officially launched the international bus service. The 40-seater bus carried a total of 28 passengers to Kolkata through Dhaka, and the service will run six days a week. The bus will take roughly 19 hours to travel 500 kilometres from Agartala to Kolkata via Dhaka. According to an official, the railway travel between the two destinations via Guwahati takes roughly 35 hours.

"The cross-border bus service will boost cooperation between India and Bangladesh," the minister said during the programme.

Earlier today took part in the Flag off ceremony of Agartala- Kolkata via Dhaka Bus service at Integrated Check Post, Akhaura, Agartala along with other dignitaries.

This bus service shall definitely strengthen ties between.

It will also boost trade and tourism. pic.twitter.com/scA6sIg6Oe — Pranajit Singha Roy (@Pranajitsinghar) June 10, 2022

The bus facility on this route was suspended in March 2020 after the pandemic struck. The fare from Agartala to Kolkata via Dhaka will be Rs 2,300 per passenger, including travelling tax, while it will be Rs 1,000 from Tripura capital to Dhaka.

"The direct bus service will be of help to people in view of cancellations of long-distance trains due to flood and landslide in neighbouring Assam and high demand for flights resulting in a sharp increase in airfare," the minister said.

Roy said the number of passengers will increase in the days to come as they will be aware of the resumption of the bus service. He also appealed to the authorities concerned to ensure the smooth running of buses on the cross-border route in strict adherence to foreign laws. He asserted that the state's connectivity with the rest of the country has improved during the BJP-led NDA regime at the Centre.

Roy also said the state government has taken the initiative to increase the number of daily flights from the airport here. Currently, the count is 18. Agartala Mayor Deepak Majumder and Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Agartala Arif Mohammad, state's Principal Secretary LH Darlong were present at the programme.

With inputs from PTI