India unveils world's largest visa centre in Bangladesh
Dhaka, July 14 : Visiting Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday inaugurated the world's largest state-of-the-art visa centre here with modern facilities, promising shorter waiting times for applicants.
Singh inaugurated the integrated centre at Jamuna Future Park (JFP) along with his Bangladeshi counterpart Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, reports bdnews24.
Indian High Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Shringla, who was also present, told the media that "this is the largest Indian visa centre in the world and possibly the largest anywhere".
The new centre will replace the existing centres in Motijheel and Uttara from July 15.
The remaining two centres in Dhaka -- at Gulshan and Mirpur Road -- will also be shifted to this centre, located in a spacious 18,500 square feet commercial area, by August 31.
The existing e-token (appointment) system for submission of visa applications will also be withdrawn from July 15.
Bangladeshis constitute one of the largest numbers of visitors from a single country to India, the report said. Last year the country issued 1.4 million visas to Bangladeshi nationals.
India has 12 visa centres in Bangladesh, which is the highest number the former has in any country in the world, the report said.
India issues five-year multiple entry visas for freedom fighters, senior citizens and businessmen.
On Friday, Singh tweeted that India and Bangladesh have made "notable progress in transforming our land and maritime boundaries into zones of peace and tranquillity".
His three-day visit is taking place in the context of the Home-Minister level talks held on a regular basis between India and Bangladesh, the Indian High Commission in Dhaka said.
The last such talks were held in New Delhi in July 2016.
Issues tied to security, border management, cooperation in countering illegal activities and travel arrangements are expected to be discussed at a meeting on Sunday.
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Double-decker electric bus gutted in fire at Kurla BEST depot
Mumbai (PTI): An empty double-decker electric bus was gutted in a fire during servicing at a BEST depot in Mumbai's Kurla area on Sunday, officials said, adding that nobody was injured.
The blaze broke out inside the Kurla BEST bus depot near Kanakia Building at 4.14 pm, according to preliminary information from the Mumbai Fire Brigade.
The parked bus was unoccupied at the time of the incident.
Fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control. The exact cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained, they said.
No injuries were reported in the incident, officials added.
The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking has hired 50 electric double-decker buses from Switch Mobility in its fleet of around 2,700 buses.
