Siliguri : After Kolkata - Dhaka and Agartala - Dhaka, a new bus service between the Bangladesh capital and Siliguri in North Bengal was launched here with 23 passengers from Dhaka reaching here recently. The 42-seater, two-by-two seater air-conditioned bus left Dhaka at 22:00 hours last night and reached Burimari at dawn in Bangladesh border across Changrabanda in Coochbehar district.

The passengers were brought to Siliguri by another Indian bus from Changrabanda after necessary customs and immigration clearance.

A Dhaka bound bus from Siliguri would leave every day at 14:00 hours and the passengers would have to get down at Changrabanda and walk down to Burimari in Bangladesh.

From there to Dhaka, the passengers would have to be ferried by a Bangladeshi bus, according to Mr. Bacchu Basu Bhat, an official of Sohali Travel.

The Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) has entrusted to run the service to Shyamoli, which in turn has given Soheli Travels the contract to run the bus and booking in the North Bengal sector.

The fare for a passenger is fixed at Rs. 525, which includes dinner, snacks and bottled water.