Luxury bus services in Santiniketan-Kolkata route, ~ a sight that had only been a dream earlier for the locals and Santiniketan-bound tourists, is now a reality. Thanks to Sriniketan Santiniketan Development Authority and the South Bengal State Transport Corporation for their initiatives, jumbo-size Starbuses now will carry passengers from Santiniketan to Kolkata and back to Santiniketan, twice daily. "For the convenience of the passengers, mainly the residents of Santiniketan, who had to travel some 3 km to board trains from Bolpur Railway stations and for attracting tourists through better communication, the SBSTC has decided to start this new bus service,' said Mr Prabir Ghosh, divisional manager of SBSTC, Assansol. He also informed the buses would depart Santiniketan at 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. respectively and reach Esplanade in Kolkata through Panagarh and Durgapur Express road. Mr Ghosh said, "We have also decide to extend the bus route to Digha, the bus which would depart in the morning would go to Digha via Kolkata. n SNS