Three years after the agreement, a direct service will come into operation among Bangladesh, India and Nepal.

Four countries—Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal—had signed a Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) agreement for direct bus service in June, 2015. Bhutan, however, has not signed this agreement yet.

According to the agreement, the bus service is going to be operated for a trail run for now.

Mechi Customs Office Chief Tek Bahadur Aryal said the bus service will be operated for the first time from April 23 to 26 among Bangladesh, India and Nepal. A bus will leave for Kakarbhitta of Nepal from Dhaka, the Capital of Bangladesh on April 23.

Aryal along with his team will reach Dhaka to inaugurate the bus service. The bus will enter Nepal via Phulbari and Pantanki of India.

After the BBIN agreement, the Asian Development Bank has been upgrading the road connecting Nepal, India, Bhutan and Bangladesh as the Asian Highway.

The road upgrading work in Bangladeshi side has almost been completed. The work is still going on in India. The four-lane road including a sky bridge has been constructed.

India and Bangladesh have reached an agreement to use Kakarbhitta-Phulbari-Banglabanda road—Nepal’s business route for the past 20 years—for the bus service.

India had also used this route for the business purpose in 2011.

An immigration office has also been established at the Phubari checkpoint in 2015. The immigration was established after the increase in movement at Phulbari-Banglabandha crossing.

Now, this crossing will be limited only for business route.

Nepal-Bangladesh Trade Association Chairman Panna Lal Jain hoped that the importance of the border-crossing will be increased once commuter buses start regular operation.

“The direct bus service will ease the travel from Bangladesh to Nepal and vice versa,” he said.