<p>The Agartala-Kolkata bus service via Dhaka resumed on Friday after a hiatus of over two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a Tripura minister said.</p>.<p>State Transport Minister Pranajit Singha Roy flagged off the international bus service at the integrated checkpost at Akhaura.</p>.<p>“The cross-border bus service will boost cooperation between India and Bangladesh,” the minister said during the programme.</p>.<p>Altogether 28 passengers boarded the 40-seater bus for Kolkata via Dhaka, and the service will be available for six days a week.</p>.<p>The bus will cover a distance of around 500 km from Agartala to Kolkata via Dhaka in around 19 hours. A train journey between the two destinations via Guwahati takes around 35 hours, an official said.</p>.<p>The bus facility on this route was suspended in March 2020 after the pandemic struck.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>“The direct bus service will be of help to people in view of cancellations of long-distance trains due to flood and landslide in neighboring Assam and high demand for flights resulting in a sharp increase in airfare,” the minister said.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>He also appealed the authorities concerned to ensure smooth running of buses in the cross-border route in strict adherence to foreign laws.</p>.<p>He asserted that the state’s connectivity with rest of the country has improved during the BJP-led NDA regime at the Centre.</p>.<p>Roy also said the state government has taken an initiative to increase the number of daily flights from the airport here. Currently, the count is 18.</p>.<p>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.</p>
<p>The Agartala-Kolkata bus service via Dhaka resumed on Friday after a hiatus of over two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a Tripura minister said.</p>.<p>State Transport Minister Pranajit Singha Roy flagged off the international bus service at the integrated checkpost at Akhaura.</p>.<p>“The cross-border bus service will boost cooperation between India and Bangladesh,” the minister said during the programme.</p>.<p>Altogether 28 passengers boarded the 40-seater bus for Kolkata via Dhaka, and the service will be available for six days a week.</p>.<p>The bus will cover a distance of around 500 km from Agartala to Kolkata via Dhaka in around 19 hours. A train journey between the two destinations via Guwahati takes around 35 hours, an official said.</p>.<p>The bus facility on this route was suspended in March 2020 after the pandemic struck.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>“The direct bus service will be of help to people in view of cancellations of long-distance trains due to flood and landslide in neighboring Assam and high demand for flights resulting in a sharp increase in airfare,” the minister said.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>He also appealed the authorities concerned to ensure smooth running of buses in the cross-border route in strict adherence to foreign laws.</p>.<p>He asserted that the state’s connectivity with rest of the country has improved during the BJP-led NDA regime at the Centre.</p>.<p>Roy also said the state government has taken an initiative to increase the number of daily flights from the airport here. Currently, the count is 18.</p>.<p>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.</p>