Government bus services have resumed on three rural and border-area routes in Cooch Behar’s Dinhata subdivision after nearly 10 years, restoring direct public transport links for residents travelling to Dinhata town.
The North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) formally flagged off services on the Dinhata–Chaudhurihat, Dinhata–Shalmara and Dinhata–Kursharhat routes on Thursday from the Gosani Road bus stand in Dinhata town.
Ajay Ray, the BJP MLA of Dinhata, inaugurated the services in the presence of NBSTC managing director Ashwini Kumar Roy, officials of the state transport department and others. Ray also purchased the first ticket on the Dinhata–Shalmara route and travelled on part of the journey.
NBSTC buses had previously operated regularly on all three routes, according to a source cited in the report. The services were later discontinued, leaving residents of the remote and border areas with difficulties in commuting to Dinhata town.
The restoration followed demands raised during a public interaction organised by Ray. Discussions were subsequently held with the state transport department, and the services were brought back after approval from the authorities concerned.
The three routes connect Dinhata town with areas that have faced a prolonged gap in government-operated bus services. For residents, the resumption provides a formal public transport option for travel between the subdivision headquarters and the surrounding rural and border settlements. The source material does not specify the number of daily trips, fares, fleet size or the timetable for the restored routes.
The return of the buses also places the focus on the role of state-run transport in areas where private services may not provide consistent connectivity. In this case, the interruption lasted nearly a decade, making the decision to restore the routes a significant change in local mobility provision.
Ray said the state transport department also planned to introduce more long-distance bus services from Dinhata. No further route details, launch dates or operational schedules for those proposed services were provided in the report.
The three NBSTC routes are now operating from the Gosani Road bus stand, with the restored services linking Chaudhurihat, Shalmara and Kursharhat to Dinhata.