The West Bengal Government wants the bus service between the two countries to begin on May 26, the birth anniversary of poet Nazrul Islam. But it is still awaiting the green signal from New Delhi.

State Tourism Minister Subhas Chakraborty told The Indian Express that the bus service between Calcutta and Dhaka might begin on May 26 as a `token' even if the Centre's approval for the regular service doesn't arrive in time. Three buses will leave Calcutta on that day, carrying the first batch of passengers, including mediapersons.

However, Chakraborty could not say if the Central nod would be conveyed by then. ``We're mounting pressure onDelhi to clear it soon,'' he said.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission is still in the dark about the date for the inaugural bus service. It has received no communication from either Dhaka or Delhi.

Last February, the Bangladesh Cabinet had approved ``in principle'' the proposal to run buses from Dhaka to Calcutta and Ajmer to carry pilgrims and other Bangladeshis to destinations in India. According to Bangladesh government sources, 50 imported buses have been kept ready for the service.

The proposal on the bus service through India came close on the heels of the euphoria over the December 1996 Farrakka agreement on sharing of the Ganga waters. It was received enthusiastically by the common people in Bangladesh who travel to Calcutta and other Indian cities regularly for higher education, medical treatment and other purposes and to Ajmer Sharif for the pilgrimage.

Of the alternatives currently available, air travel is expensive while harassment at border check points makes the roadjourney a far from pleasant experience. Besides, Indian officials on the border frequently face problems tackling illegal entry by Bangladeshis into India.

However, there is still a fair amount of scepticism in some circles on whether the Vajpayee government will clear the proposal soon. India had always wanted the passenger service to be linked to the issue of transit of Indian goods through Bangladesh. The sceptics say the passenger service may yet get bogged down in the controversy over giving India the transit facilities.

This is also a politically sensitive issue in Bangladesh with the Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamat-e-Islami vehemently opposed to the transit proposition.

For its part, the West Bengal Government argues that apart from improving relations between the two countries, the bus service will boost tourism on either side of the border.