West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday flagged off the new Kolkata-Agartala bus service via Dhaka, hoping this would bring both India and Bangladesh closer.
After inaugurating the bus service from the state secretariat, Banerjee said, "The launch of the service makes this day forever memorable and historically significant for us".
"This will bring both India and Bangladesh closer and will strengthen the friendship that we have," she said adding that they want to introduce bus services from Malda and Siliguri to Bangladesh.
"Our relations are not of one day and it has been there for a long time," Banerjee said.
"Waterways, land and roads all will be linked if our hearts are closer. The Land Boundary Agreement which is going to be signed in Bangladesh is historic," the chief minister said.
What came as a dampner, the luxury bus developed a technical snag and passengers had to be shifted to another bus minutes before the flag-off.
West Bengal Housing and Youth Services Minister Arup Biswas, principal secretary, Transport, Alapan Bandyopadhyay and other officials accompanied the bus besides a team of media persons.