DHAKA: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her India counterpart Narendra Modi flagged off two bus services at Prime Minister’s Office in city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area Saturday afternoon.

The buses will ply on Dhaka-Shillong-Guwahati and Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala routes.

The services are expected to give a major boost to people-to-people connectivity.

The direct bus connection from Kolkata to Agartala via Dhaka would reduce the travel distance from 1,650-km to 400-km for India people between West Bengal and Tripura.

After inauguration of the bus services, Sheikh Hasina will hold tête-à-tête with Modi at ‘Golap’ of Prime Minister's Office.

Earlier in the day, a special flight of Indian Air Force carrying Modi and his entourage landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10:10am Saturday.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina welcomed her Indian counterpart at the airport. Later, he was given a warm red carpet reception and guard of honor.

Later, Modi paid heart-felt tributes to the county’s founder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by placing floral wreaths at Mujib’s portrait at Dhanmondi in city.

Prior to that, the Indian premier paid tributes to martyrs of the 1971 liberation war at National Mausoleum at Savar.

However, Modi’s two-day visit to Bangladesh will highlight the connectivity and security issues apart from signing of a number of instruments and deals, aiming to take the ties between the two neighboring countries to a newer height.

BDST: 1554 HRS, JUN 6, 2015
RS/RR/SMS