Odisha to Get Its First Visa Application Centre at Bhubaneswar Bus Terminal

Bureau,Odishabarta

Bhubaneswar: In a move set to ease access to international travel services, Odisha will soon get its first Visa Application Centre (VAC) at the Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar Bus Terminal (BSABT) in Bhubaneswar.

The state government on Monday signed a tripartite agreement with the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and VFS Global to establish the facility at Baramunda.

The agreement was inked by Soumendra Patra, Additional Secretary of the Home Department; BDA Secretary Manas Ranjan Padhi; and Viney John, Associate Vice-President (Administration, South Asia) at VFS Global.

Around 3,000 square feet of space has been earmarked for the centre at BSABT. At present, residents of Odisha travel to cities such as Kolkata, Delhi and Hyderabad for visa-related services.

The new facility is expected to significantly reduce this burden and improve accessibility.

The initiative follows Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s directive in December to set up a VAC in the state.

In a parallel development, BDA also signed an agreement with the Odisha Computer Application Centre (OCAC) to lease nearly 77,000 square feet across two floors at the terminal for IT and ITeS firms.

BDA Vice-Chairman Chanchal Rana said BSABT is being developed as a transport-cum-business hub. Spread over 11 acres, the terminal handles over 1,500 buses and about 20,000 passengers daily.

agencies