Road link snapped due to rains, Tripura increases bus frequency via Bangladesh

Tripura, which has been cut off from the rest of India after stretches of the national highway in neighbouring Meghalaya collapsed due to landslides this week, said on Friday that four more buses are being deployed on the Agartala-Dhaka-Kolkata route for people who need to travel out of the state.

The state government has also asked the civil aviation ministry to increase the frequency of flights to Agartala and requested the state-run Indian Oil Corporation to explore the option of ferrying fuel via Bangladesh.

India's northeast region has received heavy rains over the past few days and the weather office has forecast very heavy to extremely heavy rain in the region for the next five days.

Already, multiple landslides in the region have already killed 11 people over the last three days in Assam and Meghalaya.

Tripura principal transport secretary LH Darlong said massive landslides have taken place at Lumshong in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills along national highway 6. The highway connects to Tripura via NH-8 which runs from Karimganj in Assam to Sabroom in Tripura.

"It means Tripura is cut off from the rest of the country via rail and road," Darlong said.

The Agartala-Dhaka-Kolkata bus service resumed on June 10 after a two-year-long break due to restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The bus operates every day except Fridays and covers the 500km distance from Agartala to Kolkata in 19 hours. The fare is ₹2,300.

Tripura and Bangladesh share a border stretching more than 850km with Bangladesh, some of it unfenced.

Darlong said the frequency of the Agartala-Dhaka-Kolkata was being increased as an interim measure

"We have already requested Bangladesh Assistant High Commissioner's office in Agartala to expedite visas for Indian nationals who wish to travel via Akhaura Integrated Check Post here," Darlong added.