The Dhaka-Shillong-Guwahati bus service, expected to be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina early next month, had its first trial run on Friday.
Bangladesh Minister for Road Transport and Bridges Obaidul Quader and Indian High Commissioner Pankaj Saran launched the service ahead of Mr. Modi’s maiden visit to the country in June.
The bus left with officials in the afternoon for Shillong through Tamabil in Sylhet.
An official told The Hindu that the trial was to check the overall infrastructure on the 550-km route. Bangladesh Federation of Commerce and Industry president Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed said the direct service would offer businesses as an “enormous opportunity.” It would open up a new window for Bangladesh and India’s north-eastern States.
