• Whole Bangla

After 56 years, Mitali Express will run from June 1

  • Whole Bangla
  • 29 May, 2022 17:43:11

Photo: CNI

District Representative, Nilphamari: The Mitali Express, a passenger train service between Chilahati in Bangladesh and Haldibari in India, is going to be launched after a long 56 years. The train will be launched from June 1 after complications related to corona virus and visa. When the train is launched, it will run from Dhaka to New Jalpaiguri. The train will run on this route again as if the locals were happy and thanked the Prime Minister. However, they demanded to keep the immigration and customs clearance system and take passengers from here. Mitali Express is going to be launched after a long 26 months after overcoming the stress of Corona epidemic. After the Indo-Pakistani war in 1965, train services were stopped on the way to Chilahati in Bangladesh and Haldibari in India. After 55 years, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina and the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi inaugurated the movement of freight trains on December 16, 2020 and passenger trains on March 26, 2021. Since then, the freight train has been running, but the passenger train Mitali Express has been hampered by corona viruses and visa complications. The Mitali Express train will run between Dhaka Cantonment Station and Newsalpaiguri in India. The train will run two days a week. It will leave Dhaka on Thursday and Monday and will also arrive in Bangladesh for two days from India. However, Railway Minister Nurul Islam is scheduled to pay an official visit to India later this month. He will inaugurate the journey of the virtual Mitali Express train on June 1. According to railway sources, the railway fares of the two countries have been fixed for the Mitali Express train. The rent of AC berth has been fixed at Tk 4,905. The rent for AC seats is Tk 3,605, AC chairs are Tk 2,605 and Newslapaiguri from Chilahati is Tk 1,250. The railway authorities of the two countries will share the revenue from the Mitali Express train. If the Mitali Express train is launched on this route, the railway department of Bangladesh will get 60 percent of the revenue and the Indian railway department will get 20 percent. The Mitali Express train will leave Newsalpaiguri on June 1 at 12.10 pm. Arriving at Chilahati, the train will reach Dhaka Cantonment at 10.30 pm after a 30 minute break. The next day, on Monday, the Mitali Express train will leave Dhaka Cantonment Station at 9.50 pm: Newsalpaiguri, India. Arrive there at 8.5 in the morning. The train will run with 456 seats during the day and 406 seats at night. The distance from Dhaka to New Jalpaiguri in India is 595 km. Of this, 69 km is in the Indian part. This train has 10 warm coaches. Of these, four are eight AC fastclass and AC chair coaches. The other two will have generators and a breakup van. For minors up to five years of age, 50 per cent of the basic fare is discounted and passengers under five years of age can carry luggage weighing 20 kg. Train tickets will be available at Chilahati stations in Dhaka, Kamalapur, Chittagong and Nilphamari in the Bangladesh part and at Fairley Palace and New Jalpaiguri stations in Kolkata in the Indian part. It is to be noted that the Mitali Express train will have two separate coaches for Chilahati, the two coaches will have 100 seats. According to the protocol of the Government of India, travelers must have a certificate of RPC and Covit test or two doses of vaccine 72 hours in advance. The wheel of the passenger train is going to turn after a long 56 years after the end of everything. However, the people of this region have faced various problems in traveling to Upper Bengal. Mohabbad Hossain Babu of the Chilahati Dak Bungalow Road area said people in the area would not be able to travel to India as there was no immigration system at the Chilahati railway station in Nilphamari. If they want to go to India, they have to immigrate from Dhaka. We have to suffer in this. Our demand here is to introduce speedy immigration and customs clearance system. Dead in the village of Kamar Para. "We travel to India for physical therapy," said Russell Basunia, son of Zakaria Bosnia. If the Mitali Express train is launched, we will have a lot of advantages in traveling to India through Chilahati. But here are given two bogies. People from the north will travel in those two carriages. We have to suffer to get such a small number of seats. That is why I am demanding to increase the bogies of Mitali Express train. Jannat Akhter Jamie, daughter of Genrul Islam of Domar Upazila College Para village, said, "Once the Mitali Express train is launched, we will be able to travel to places of interest in India in a short time at low cost." With the introduction of communication between the two countries, the relationship will deepen and trade will expand. I thank the Prime Minister for this. Nilphamari Deputy Commissioner Khandaker Yasir Arefin said, "I have learned from railway sources that the Mitali Express train will enter Dhaka on the morning of June 1 through Chilahati in Nilphamari." The Mitali Express train was stopped due to corona virus. Due to immigration and customs complications, visa and ticketing activities are not being completed at Chilahati land port. Visa and ticketing activities are being completed from Dhaka at present. We have appealed to the Ministry of Railways to arrange visas and tickets for the people of North Bengal at Chilahati land port. I hope to get the benefits very soon.

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