Authorities in India have imposed a three-day ban on tourists from Bangladesh, preventing them from passing through the Benapole border due to the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
Confirming the decision, the Indian Police Immigration, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Benapole Immigration Azharul Islam, said that from May 17 until May 20, only passengers with medical visas and Indian passport holders would be eligible to travel to India, VisaGuide.World reports.
Through a letter, the district magistrate and district election officer of the West Bengal government said that all international routes should be sealed for the smooth conduct of elections.
Along with tourist visas, from May 17 until May 20 all types of import and export have also been temporarily stopped.
According to Daily Bangladesh, Director of Benapole Port, Rezaul Karim, has said that while emergency visa holders can enter India, passenger travel on tourist, student and business visas has been halted.
Regular travel activities between the two countries will resume on Tuesday (May 21).
Over 10,000 Tourists from Bangladesh to India Each Day
The number of tourists from Bangladesh to India in the last month alone marked a significant increase.
Based on the figures from the Indian Bureau of Immigration, from April 8 until April 14 alone, 10,000 to 12,000 tourists from Bangladesh passed through the Benapole-Petrapole border each day, thus accounting for a new record.
Last month, an official of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said that visa application numbers from Bangladesh increased long before Eid, stressing that the Ministry predicted that there would be a rush of tourists during the Eid and Bangla New Year holidays.
Officers at our missions in Dhaka, Chittagong and Rajshahi processed all these applications working round the clock, and perhaps we have never approved such a large number of visas in such a short period ever before.
According to Daily Industry, the number of tourist arrivals from Bangladesh to India increased by more than 60 per cent in 2022.
Bangladesh had overtaken the US as the leading country when it comes to international tourist figures in India before the spread of COVID-19.
Bangladesh’s Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said that in 2023, India issued more than 1.6 million visas to citizens of Bangladesh. In 2022, the number stood at 1.5 million.
Dhaka and New Delhi enjoy tight relations in several sectors, with trade between the two states increasing significantly over the years.
Both countries have had a tourism agreement since September 1, 1972. The agreement was signed in January 2013 and expired on January 15. Now, according to local media reports a new agreement will be inked.