Dhaka: Bus services between Dhaka and Guwahati via Shillong was launched on Friday on trial basis.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader and Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Pankaj Saran inaugurated the service at BRTC’s Kamalapur bus depot around 3:30pm.

A BRTC bus carrying 22 government officials, led by Road Transport and Bridges Ministry joint secretary Azharul Islam, left Dhaka for Assam’s Guwahati in the afternoon.

The bus was scheduled to reach Guwahati around 9:00pm on Friday.

Addressing the inaugural programme, Quader said, ‘We hope the new bus services will play an important role in boosting friendly ties and people-to-people contact of the two countries.’

He said a protocol and an agreement will be signed between the two countries during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Bangladesh for running regular bus services on the route.

Once the deal is signed, the minister said, the bus services will be operated on the route regularly.

Pankaj Saran said the initiative for running bus services on Dhaka-Guwahati route is part of strengthening friendly ties between Bangladesh and India.