Agartala, February 24 The bus service between Kolkata and Agartala via Dhaka resumed after an 18-month hiatus due to political turmoil in Bangladesh, and 20 passengers on board the first such vehicle reached the Tripura capital on Tuesday.
Tripura Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury welcomed the passengers at the Akhaura Integrated Checkpost (ICP).
The bus arrived in Agartala from Kolkata via Dhaka with approximately 20 passengers, while another bus departed for the West Bengal capital.
The Royal-Maitri international bus service has been suspended for the past year due to political turmoil in Bangladesh, resulting in visa issues and a sharp decline in the number of passengers. According to an official, with the situation improving, the operator sought to resume the service.
"Development is never possible without friendship. It is through friendship and cooperation that relations between two neighboring countries become stronger," he said in a Facebook post.
Building on friendship, cooperation, and mutual understanding, the relationship between the two countries grows deeper and stronger, Chowdhury said, adding that this is the reality and an undeniable truth.
"The Agartala-Dhaka-Kolkata and Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala bus services are a major example of this friendship. Keeping that faith, trust, and reality in mind, and recognizing the importance of peace, stability, and development," he said.
Chowdhury expressed hope that the relationship between the two countries will grow even stronger and that peace and prosperity will prevail.
The in-charge chairman of Tripura Road Transport Corporation (TRTC), Samar Roy, said that the international bus service was halted for 18 months due to political turmoil in Bangladesh.
"Today, the bus arrived in Agartala from Kolkata via Dhaka with approximately 20 passengers. Another bus with fewer passengers departed for Kolkata via Dhaka. We believe that the number of passengers will gradually increase once the visa process stabilizes," he said.