Tripura: India and Bangladesh cross-border bus service, a popular means of travel between the two neighbours, was flagged off from Agartala, Tripura on Friday with the aim of boosting tourism and people-to-people ties.

"India-Bangladesh cross-border bus service on Agartala-Dhaka-Kolkata-Agartala flagged off from Agartala today-will help boost tourism and people-to-people ties. The cross-border bus services are a popular means of travel in India and Bangladesh," the Indian high commission in Bangladesh tweeted.

The cross-border bus service resumed two years after its suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Resumption of India-Bangladesh Cross-Border Bus Services! Bus services b/w India-Bangladesh via ICP Agartala-Akhaura & ICP Haridaspur-Benapole resumed with the Dhaka-Kolkata-Dhaka bus being flagged off from Dhaka early morning today-a major step forward in enhancing affordable, people-centric connectivity," the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh tweeted.

Tazul Islam, chairman of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC), had confirmed that the service would resume to The Daily Star on Thursday.

The development comes after the rail service between the two countries resumed on May 29. The train service between the two countries was suspended since March 2020 in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two trains travel between India and Bangladesh, Bandhan Express operates between Kolkata and Khulna, Bangladesh while Maitree Express connects Kolkata with Dhaka.

According to Islam, except for the Dhaka-Sylhet-Shillong-Guwahati-Dhaka route, service on four other routes would resume from Friday and the first bus would start from Motijheel.

Before the suspension of service, buses were operated on five cross-border routes: Dhaka-Kolkata-Dhaka, Dhaka-Agartala-Dhaka, Dhaka-Sylhet-Shillong-Guwahati-Dhaka, Agartala-Dhaka-Kolkata-Agartala, and Dhaka-Khulna-Kolkata-Dhaka, reported The Daily Star.

The discussion over the operation of the fifth route is also going on.