Dhaka-Shillong-Guwahati bus service remains stalled due to ‘technical’ problems

The Guwahati-Shillong-Dhaka bus service, flagged off amidst much fanfare last year, is yet to start rolling.

Guwahati Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 1 Feb 2016, 02:36 PM
Updated : 1 Feb 2016, 02:36 PM

‘Technical problems’ encountered by the Assam State Transport Department have been cited as the reason for the service failing to get started.
 
Sources said the Assam transport department was clueless about many of the operational aspects of the ambitious project.
 
A senior transport department officer said on condition of anonymity that the repair of a bridge near the Bangladesh-Meghalay border, visa procedures, vehicle permits, road security and fare structures were some of the unresolved issues.
 
The officer said visa procedures for travellers, to be cleared by the Indian External Affairs ministry, had not been formalised yet.
 
The issue of road permit for the bus, supposed to be arranged by the Bangladesh authorities for its movement within the country, was yet to be sorted out.
 
“The service cannot take off unless these issues are resolved by the two countries,” the official said.
  
The bus service was inaugurated last year to coincide with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bangladesh.
 
Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had jointly flagged off the Dhaka-Shillong-Guwahati and Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala bus services on Jun 6 last year.
 
While the Dhaka-Shillong-Guwahati service is yet to take off, the Kolkata-Agartala via Dhaka service is already in operation.