Maitree bus service between Agartala & Kolkata resumes via Dhaka

Guwahati: The Maitree international bus service linking Agartala and Kolkata via Bangladesh capital Dhaka resumed regular operations.

The first bus in the Maitree International Bus Service fleet departed from Kolkata on Monday, traversed through Dhaka, and reached Agartala on Tuesday.

Passengers were accorded a warm welcome on arrival at the Agartala (India) - Akhaura (Bangladesh) Integrated Check Post (ICP).


Tripura Transport and Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury, Tripura Road Transport Corporation (TRTC) Acting Chairman Samar Roy, and senior officials from the ICP were present to greet the passengers.

The Minister described the resumption of the Agartala-Kolkata bus service via Dhaka as a welcome and joyous development, noting that it comes just days after a new government assumed office in Bangladesh.


He said that bilateral relations, particularly in cultural and economic spheres, are expected to strengthen with the beginning of this new phase.

Chowdhury said the bus services stand as a strong symbol of mutual trust and cooperation.

Keeping peace, stability and development in mind, a bus travelling from Kolkata to Agartala via Dhaka arrived at the Akhaura check post on Tuesday, marking the formal resumption of services after an 18-month suspension.

TRTC Acting Chairman Samar Roy said that the Agartala-Dhaka bus service is also likely to resume soon. He added that the 35-seater state government-owned TRTC bus will depart from Agartala three days a week, while another bus will leave Kolkata on three days a week.

Both services will operate via Dhaka, connecting Tripura and West Bengal. The Agartala-Dhaka-Kolkata and Agartala-Dhaka bus services were initially suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic and later resumed in June 2022.

Bus operators also expressed reluctance to resume services following incidents of violence in Bangladesh during June-July last year, particularly after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on August 5, 2024.