India and Bangladesh share the view that the proposed bus service between the two neighbouring countries would usher in positivity in relations, bringing the people on both sides closer to each other.
The bus service would strengthen relationship between the people of India and Bangladesh, top officials of the two countries said here on Tuesday.
As part of the trial run for the Agartala-Dhaka-Kolkata bus service, an air-conditioned 45-seater Volvo bus, carrying an 11-member delegation of the West Bengal government, left from Kolkata’s Salt Lake international bus terminus on Monday morning.
It reached Bangladeshi capital city of Dhaka on Monday night and left for Agartala in Tripura on Tuesday morning after Bangladesh government officials boarded the bus.
The bus, carrying officials of the West Bengal and Bangladesh governments, reached the Tripura capital in the morning.
Bangladesh Road Transport and Highways Division’s joint secretary Mohammad Abdur Rouf Khan, who led a nine-member Bangladesh delegation; on arrival said the roads connecting Bangladesh and India were good and favourable.
Stating that “India-Bangladesh relations are now at the historic moment”, Khan said: “The bus service between India and Bangladesh would further strengthen the relationship between the people of two countries.”
West Bengal transport department principal secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay, who led his government’s official team, said: “After the introduction of the bus service, people of India and Bangladesh would come closer to each other.”
“West Bengal government is very much enthused to launch the bus service between Agartala and Kolkata via Bangladesh.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina are scheduled to flag off the bus services between Agartala and Kolkata via Bangladesh and Dhaka and Guwahati during Modi’s two-day visit to the neighbouring country from June 6.
