Dhaka-Kolkata passenger ship service proposed
Thursday, 28 May 2009, 19:18 IST
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Dhaka: Travel between Dhaka and Kolkata by ship, something that stopped over four decades back, may be revived to promote people-to-people contact and eco-tourism. Bangladesh Shipping Minister Afsarul Amin Wednesday commended a proposal mooted by the parliament's standing committee. New Age newspaper quoted him as saying: "The proposal is good. We will actively consider it. There should be more discussions since the matter involves cooperation of India." Road, rail and river travel between India and then East Pakistan were snapped after a war in 1965. There is a river protocol in force and the parliamentary committee headed by Noor-e-Alam Chowdhury strongly recommended that passenger shipping may be revived under it. Dhaka and Kolkata now have daily passenger service by air and road, and four train services a week. But, there is no passenger service on the once-thriving river routes. "We have a few vessels made during the British Raj and they are still in service. These vessels could carry tourists across the border," Chowdhury suggested. The passengers could enjoy the beauty of Sundarbans, the home of the famed Royal Bengal Tiger, said the parliamentarian.
Source: IANS
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