Kolkata-Dhaka Moitree Express train flagged off
The Kolkata-Dhaka Moitree Express was stopped on its tracks on Monday on Bengali New Year’s Day by a citizens group called “Amra Bengal”, demanding the scrapping of Indo-Bangladesh friendship treaty. The train however resumed the historic journey within 10 minutes as the police swung into action.
The train was flagged off by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, resuming passenger train services between the two neighbouring countries after 43 years.
About 50 members of the group blocked the train’s path for 15 minutes at Nadia at 8.35 am & were removed by the police before things could get out of control. The six-coach train will be a bi-weekly service between Kolkata & Dhaka Cantonment. It will leave Kolkata on Saturdays & Sundays at 7.10 am reaching Dhaka at 10.30 pm. The Indian rake has a capacity of 368 passengers & the Bangladeshi one will have 418 passengers.
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, Information & Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi & Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Liquat Ali Chowdhury were present at the Kolkata railway terminal in north Kolkata at the flag-off ceremony along with a host of dignitaries.
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