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Bangladesh has agreed in principle to allow its territory for a direct bus service between Kolkata and Agartala, the capital of the landlocked northeastern state of Tripura, an Indian media report said.
The Dhaka-Kolkata bus service will be augmented by making the frequency of buses leaving from either city to four daily from the present twice a day service.
The existing $11 bus fare between Kolkata and Dhaka will also be hiked by one dollar from July 1 next while there will be no increase in fare in the Agartala-Dhaka bus service.
It was decided at a closed-door meeting between officials of the two countries in Kolkata Friday.
It was agreed in principle that a direct bus service between Kolkata and Agartala via Dhaka would be allowed after cabinet approvals of both the governments.
Owing to geographical disadvantage, travel between Tripura and West Bengal, a gateway to mainland India, was either via expensive air service or through an excruciatingly long and winding land route through other northeastern states.
Official sources said that after cabinet approvals and diplomatic-level discussions the service would start. Some new decisions were taken to improve the existing Bangladesh-India bus services from Kolkata and Agartala respectively.
Marking a new beginning of cooperation, the Kolkata-Dhaka bus service had started in June 1999 followed by the Agartala-Dhaka bus service in September 2003.
It was decided that a passenger from Tripura who now travels to Kolkata by bus after a break journey in Dhaka from Agartala would be allowed to take up to Rs.15,000 in Indian currency and up to 30 kg of luggage free of charge.
Bangladesh Ministry of Communication Deputy Secretary Mohammad Motijul Haq, Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) chairman Taimur Alam Khandakar, India's road transport ministry official V. Singh and India's deputy high commissioner in Dhaka D.N. Srivastav were present in the meeting besides transport officials from Tripura and West Bengal.
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