Bangladesh to Resume Tourist Visa Services in India; Agartala–Dhaka Bus Route Set for Possible Comeback

Tourist visa services from Bangladeshi diplomatic missions located in India will resume from Monday, a Bangladesh Foreign Ministry official said on Sunday, indicating a gradual normalisation of travel-related processes following recent political developments in Dhaka.

The Bangladesh government had suspended tourist visa services from its diplomatic missions in India due to security reasons.

However, after the Bangladesh election, the situation has improved, and the visa service will be fully resumed from Monday.

“Although we did not formally announce it as stopped, we are not formally announcing it as resumed either; in fact, it was ongoing and will now be expanded widely from Monday,” the official told ANI.

Why Did Bangladesh Suspend Tourist Visa Services Around the February 12 Election?

Around the election held in Bangladesh on February 12, the Bangladesh government had instructed its missions in India to suspend tourist visas from January 15 to February 15.

In urgent cases, visas were issued. Apart from India, due to security reasons, services were also completely stopped for countries such as Bhutan and Nepal.

Now, after reviewing the overall situation, all types of visas, including tourist visas, are being fully resumed from all places from Monday.

Indian visa services for Bangladeshis are still suspended, specifically tourist visa services, though some categories remain ongoing.

Trial runs of the Agartala–Dhaka direct bus service were undertaken days after Tarique Rahman took oath as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

When Will the Agartala–Dhaka Bus Service Between India and Bangladesh Resume?

Reports suggest that the bus services between the two countries are likely to begin soon after being suspended for more than a year amid a halt in visa services and strained bilateral relations.

On Friday morning, a luxury bus arrived in Agartala from Dhaka through the Akhaura Integrated Check Post and returned to Dhaka from the Tripura Road Transport Corporation (TRTC) depot in Agartala on Saturday morning, completing the cross-border trial run.

Officials said the development followed directives from the new Bangladeshi administration and added that, if preparations proceed as planned, the Agartala–Dhaka bus service could resume shortly.

According to the reports, with the domestic situation stabilising after the formation of the new government in Bangladesh, authorities have moved to revive the route, which links Tripura to Kolkata via Dhaka and facilitates travel between India’s northeastern region and eastern states.

The fare for the roughly 500-km journey from Agartala to Kolkata via Dhaka has been fixed at ₹2,800.

The cross-border bus service between the two cities was launched in 2003. It was briefly interrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic and later resumed in June 2022.

How Did Tripura CM React to the Resumption of the India-Bangladesh Bus Service via Dhaka?

Tripura CM Manik Saha said, “I welcome the move to resume India-Bangladesh bus service connecting Agartala with Kolkata via Dhaka. The uncertainty is over with the formation of an elected government in Bangladesh. This is a good sign in bilateral ties. We hope other issues will also be addressed.”

During the period of the interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus, relations between India and Bangladesh had deteriorated.

However, after the February 12 election, when the government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman took office, there are signs of improvement in relations.

At the swearing-in ceremony of the new cabinet after the election, a high-level Indian delegation led by Speaker of India Om Birla participated and met with the Prime Minister.

(With inputs from ANI)