Parliament panel for KA-Myanmar bus service

'Similarity between Karbi and Shan tribes offers scope for cultural exchanges, trade'

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, July 22: A Parliamentary standing committee has favoured a bus service between Karbi Anglong district in Assam and Myanmar.

The chairman of the Parliamentary standing committee on Home Affairs Pradip Bhattacharya has written a letter to DoNER minister Dr Jitendra Singh saying that the demand raised by the Banseng ngseng Women's Society of Karbi Anglong is "justified".

"There is a public demand for a bus service to the Shan State of Myanmar from Balipathar in Bokajan subdivision of Karbi Anglong via Tinsukia. In the interest of the people of Karbi Anglong and also to promote cultural exchanges, trade and tourism with the neighbouring country, I feel the demand is justified," Bhattacharya said in his letter, asking the DoNER ministry to look into it.

In its petition, the Balipathar-based Banseng ngseng Women's Society has stated that there were cultural and religious similarities between the people of Karbi Anglong and Myanmar's Shan tribe. A bus service would help cultural exchanges, besides boosting tourism and economy on both sides, it said. In line with the NDA government's Act East policy, the two countries are trying to liberalize border movements and are already working on opening a bus service between Imphal and Mandalay, a distance of 579 kms.

To increase connectivity between India and Myanmar, the foreign ministers of both the countries had recently agreed to increase the number of flights operating between the two countries, up from the weekly connection between Delhi and Yangon through Gaya.