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Dhaka-Calcutta bus service may start from Dec

By M Anwarul Haq
Direct bus service between Dhaka and Calcutta is likely to begin from mid-December after the signing of a motor vehicle agreement between Bangladesh and India, according to official sources.
Around one lakh passengers are likely to avail of this service within one year.
A 6-member team of offl dais from India's Surface TraMspori'Ministry is due to arrive in the city on September 22 for working out details of the bus link The envisaged bus route besides linking Dhaka and Calcutta is likely to subsequently connect the Bangladesh capital with the Indian capital and stretch upto Almeer for the convenience of pilgrims visit ing the dargah snartf of Khwaja Mainuddin Chlshtl.
The two sides are likely to sign a MOU at their two day meeting in Dhaka for opening the bus route The MOU wifi later be signed into a Motor Vehicle Agreement between the two countries, the sources said
Buses having Bangladeshi and Indian registration will be allowed to operate directly and passengers will not need to dis embark at any point between Dhaka and Calcutta.
Although every traveller
will for require passport and visa, provisions will be made speedy customs and immigration check at the no man s land, requiring between 10 and 15 minutes, the sources said.
A maximum of 10 hours may be required to reach Dhaka from Calcutta, taking into consideration the Daulatdia-Aricha ferry crossing. Efforts will also be made to have ape ciaMnrrieMw- -btiMs plying on the Dhaka Calcutta Dhaka route.
The proposed Motor Vehicle Agreement Is intended to initially limited to the plying of passenger buses between the two countries. There would be no provision for plying of trucks and heavy duty vehicles, the sources said
The proposed agreement envisages only one route for the passenger buses — Dhaka Arlcha-Daulatdia-Jessore-Benapoie an the Bangladesh side and Petropole-Calciitta Delhi and Ajmeer on the Indian side.
Sources in the Ministry of Communications said that it would be possible to start Dhaka-Calcutta-Dhaka bus service shortly as the road con dltion on the Bangladesh side is "sufficiently good." It may. however, take a considerably long time to Introduce bus service from Calcutta to Ajmeer as the road condition requires to be improved Besides, train link from Calcutta to Delhi is quite good
Karar Mahmudul Hasan. Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Communications, will lead the Bangladesh side at the bus service talks in Dhaka while B Bhatti. Joint Secretary in India's Surface Communication Ministry, will lead the Indian side.
According to the draft being prepared for the proposed agreement, a fare ceiling would be fixed for bus travel between the two countries. Sources said between Tk 400 and Tk 500 can be charged for each passenger travelling on Dhaka-Calcutta route, depending on the amenities provided by the buses — meals, video and air-condition -ing.
Vehicles which are not more than four-year old and are normally 52-seater, will be allowed to ply with a maximum of 42 passengers. Each passenger will also be entitled to carry a maximum of 20 kg of luggage.
Private bus operators with good track record and suitable carriages will be encouraged to operate on the Dhaka-Calcutta route.
Provision is likely to be made to reserve one-fifth of the vehicles operating on this route for government-owned vehicles of India and Bangladesh.
According to the projection paper prepared by the Ministry of Communications, nearly one lakh people are expected to avail of the Dhaka-Calcutta direct bus service within a year of its operations.
Available figures show that an estimated 2,67,000 people travelled to India from Bangladesh by land and air last year while nearly 2,09,000 peo-Kile came to Bangladesh from India.