Trial run on Dhaka-Gangtok, Dhaka-Darjeeling bus routes kicks off

The trial run for direct bus services on Dhaka-Gangtok and Dhaka-Darjeeling routes via Siliguri kicked off this evening to boost cross-border commercial services in the region.

The inauguration of the bus service was delayed as it was supposed to take place this morning, due to the necessary order of the government, officials said.

As per the plan, two buses with around 35 passengers including government officials left Dhaka around 8:15pm from Gabtoli Bus Station, a member of the fleet and also an official of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC), said.

Around ten Indian officials will join the fleet from Siliguri, another team member said. They are expected to return on December 16, he added.

A large number of holidaymakers seek direct bus services to Gangtok and Darjeeling as those are popular tourist destinations, according to government officials and bus operators.

Besides, many Bangladeshi parents send their children to boarding schools in Darjeeling and they make frequent visits to the area, they added.

Distance between Dhaka and Darjeeling via Siliguri is around 450-kilometre whereas distance between Dhaka and Gangtok via Siliguri is around 500-kilometre.

Currently, buses operate on five cross-border routes between Bangladesh and India -- Dhaka-Kolkata-Dhaka, Dhaka-Agartala-Dhaka, Dhaka-Sylhet-Shillong-Guwahati-Dhaka, Agartala-Dhaka-Kolkata-Agartala and Dhaka-Khulna-Kolkata-Dhaka.

Suvenker Ghosh Rakesh, managing director of Shyamoli NR Travels which is providing the two luxurious buses for BRTC for the trip, said they are ready to operate commercial services, if authorities allow them after the trial run.