Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma has said that he will discuss on-arrival visa facilities for Bangladeshi people visiting India with his country’s authority.
At the same time, his counterpart Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Md Faruk Khan said that he would also discuss arrival visa facilities with foreign and home ministries for Indian visitors.
They came up with such optimism while talking to journalists after a courtesy meeting held at the secretariat in the capital on Tuesday.
The minister said that the friendship between the two countries will be strengthened by increasing cooperation in civil aviation and tourism industries.
“We have been given some proposals by India regarding the enhancement of relations in these two sectors. We will consider them. In addition, there was also a discussion on increasing air connectivity between the two countries,” added the minister.
Pranay Verma said, “We talked about connecting new destinations between Bangladesh and India for the development of tourism by air. India is particularly interested in connecting the states of the northeastern region with Bangladesh by air.”
“Many Indian investors are interested in investing in the development of the tourism industry in Bangladesh. We are giving them encouragement and support,” he added.
In response to a question from journalists, the aviation minister said that Biman is currently in a profitable position. Biman offers passenger service despite the limited number of aircraft and several other restrictions.
“We are working on how to improve this service by removing limitations. We have a plan to add a new plane to its fleet. Biman’s problems have already been identified and measures are being taken to rectify them,” said the minister.
In response to a question about the increase in the cost of the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal Airport, the minister said that whether there is a need to increase the cost of the third terminal will be discussed.
“Many new things are being added to the third terminal. It may require some increase in expenses. But whatever decision is taken, it will be taken with the benefit of the country and the people in mind,” further added the minister.
