Our Bureau
SHILLONG/ NEW DELHI: The Meghalaya government will pursue introduction of bus service between Shillong and Sylhet.
The matter figured in meetings which Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has had with Bangladesh officials during his ongoing visit.
After talks of Shillong- Dhaka bus service, the idea of a shorter Shillong- Sylhet bus route was floated.
Sangma said the proposal to start a bus service from Shillong to Sylhet is a great way to strengthen and carry forward the relationship with Bangladesh.
He added that the Union ministries of Home Affairs and External Affairs and other major ministries will be consulted on the matter.
This will be in addition to connecting Shillong with Sylhet through flight services which will boost trade and commerce. There is also enough potential of tourism in which people from Bangladesh can visit spots like Shnongpdeng and Dawki in Meghalaya and go back to Bangladesh after spending their time in the area.
Earlier, Bangladesh and India had decided in principle to launch direct bus services on Dhaka-Gangtok and Dhaka-Darjeeling routes via Siliguri.
Currently, buses operate 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.
