Guwahati, Dec. 10: The road to Dhaka is bumpy at many stretches but a bus from here left for the Bangladesh capital today with a resolve to fill the potholes and improve relations with the neighbouring country.

Driver Biren Singh looked ecstatic as the white-red bus (AS20/1613) began its 496km journey from the inter-state bus terminus here with 24 delegates, 16 from India and eight from Bangladesh, on board.

'It feels really great to be part of the historic bus service,' the driver told The Telegraph, minutes before Assam public works department minister Ajanta Neog flagged off the journey at 9.20am.

The delegates, who are on a trial run for the Guwahati-Dhaka direct bus service, will make a joint inspection of the route via Dawki in Meghalaya and identify the 'obstacles' for a new feat under New Delhi's Look East policy.

'Some stretches of the road between Shillong and Dawki (border point on Indian side in Meghalaya) are full of potholes. The joint team will inspect the roads and identify customs and security-related issues to make the route ready for the Guwahati-Dhaka bus service. Calcutta-Dhaka (1999) and Agartala-Dhaka (2002) bus service is getting a very good response from people in both the countries. We hope to start the direct bus service in the next couple of months. This will definitely boost trade and tourism,' Assam transport department secretary Dhruba Hazarika said.

The delegates, after having lunch at Barapani in Shillong changed the bus at Dawki, about 90km away, crossed the border and boarded a Bangladesh bus at Tamabil, the border point in that country. They halted for the night at Sylhet and will resume their journey to Dhaka (300km) tomorrow morning.

There is, however, concern over the delay in commencement of the construction of a new bridge at Dawki over the Umngot. At present, Dawki is connected by a single-lane 136-metre long suspension bridge, which faces load constraints.

On the prospects of the Guwahati-Dhaka bus service, the assistant secretary of Bangladesh ministry of foreign affairs, Syed Shah Saad Andalib, told The Telegraph here, 'The Bangladesh government is trying to enhance trade ties with the northeastern states. Once the Dhaka-Guwahati direct bus service becomes a reality, it will help improve people-to-people relations and foster trade and commerce. We have hopes from the new government in India.'

Andalib is part of the Bangladesh delegation, comprising officials of its ministry of foreign affairs, home affairs, road transport and customs. The Indian delegates include officials of the ministry of external affairs, home affairs, road transport and highways, and police and customs officials from both Assam and Meghalaya.

The trial run comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced here on November 29 that the NDA government would 'act East' to take the Look East policy forward to connect the region with Southeast Asian countries. Sources said the Guwahati-Dhaka bus service was in the pipeline during the UPA tenure. The fresh push came soon after the Modi government took charge in May.

Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi, in June this year, had welcomed the Centre's proposal for the bus service but had objected to visa-free entry to Bangladeshis below 18 years and above 65 years and multiple entry visas. 'Those issues will be finalised after this joint survey,' an official said.

Neog said the state government was eager to improve communication and trade ties with Bangladesh. 'This route was open till Partition and we are happy that we are going to reopen it after 67 years,' Neog said, after flagging off the bus.

Additional reporting by Andrew W. Lyngdoh in Shillong