Dhaka-Agartola bus service is a farce
Dr.Q.M. Ohidul Alam, Chittagong
Like every other sectors of the government, the Dhaka-Agartola bus service too has fallen prey to the notoriety of the bureaucrats and the politicians. It took literally two years to sing the accord. After a television show of the inauguration, the question arises why the service started at all? And, for whose benefit?If it is for the interest of the people of Tripura, it will not serve its purpose due to the present context. And, if it is for tourism development in Bangladesh, that too seems unacievable. Let me clarify. With fixed fare, only a small number of people can travel. On the very first day, Tripura bus authority sold only four tickets out of 43 seats, while Bangladesh authority sold only one ticket. There is very little viability of this service. The main problem is the unusual fare. The government wants our tourism sector to develop, but refuses to issue visas to foreigners and fixes exorbitant travel tax for visitors. All these are contradictory steps. Dhaka-Agortola bus service can be viable if double entry or multiple entry visas for few months or one year are issued to the citizens of Tripura. That could increase the number of travellers in this route. And, Bangladesh can earn more from these passengers as service charges. To do that, our bureaucrats should do the proper math and planning. We should not give a second thought about issuing double or multiple entry visas for the citizens of Tripura since it serves economic interest of Bangladesh as well as of the people of Tripura. The respected bureaucrats and politicians should think for the interest of their motherland and act accordingly.
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