Agartala-Kolkata bus service via Dhaka resumes

AGARTALA: Tripura transport minister Pranajit Singha Roy on Friday flagged off the Agartala-Kolkata daily bus service via Dhaka with 28 passengers in a simple ceremony after a break of two years because of Covid-19.
The 40-seater Volvo bus would run every day from both the sides except for Friday, which will facilitate a comparatively cheaper journey to Kolkata from Agartala covering a distance of around 500 km via Dhaka in around 19 hours.
The train journey between Agartala and Kolkata took at least 36 hours through the high and difficult terrain of North Cachar Hills but via Dhaka through the plains of Bangladesh, including an exciting ferry ride across the Padma river. The travel time will be little more than a half of a train journey. The fare till Kolkata will be Rs 2,200 and till Dhaka Rs 900, including taxes, Singha Roy stated. The bus service was suspended in the last week of March 2020 with the spike in coronavirus and restriction imposed on cross-border movement. Both the countries lifted curbs on passenger movement to Bangladesh through Akhaura and Benapole land ports two months ago.