Passenger movement through Benapole rises ahead of Durga Puja holiday

Passenger movement through Benapole international checkpost has seen a sharp rise as many Bangladeshis are travelling to India to spend the Durga Puja holiday.

Many are crossing the border to celebrate the festival with relatives while others are travelling for medical treatment or to spend the vacation with loved ones.

Officer-in-Charge of Benapole Immigration Police Elias Hossain Munshi said 9,427 Bangladeshi passport holders travelled to India in six days till Saturday which is almost double the figure recorded 10 days ago.

Most of the outbound passengers came from Khulna, Bagerhat, Narail and Dhaka districts, he added.

Sunil Ghosh, a passenger, said he rarely gets time to travel due to work and so he planned a trip to Kolkata during the long Puja holiday to be with his family.

Another traveller Sudhir Mondal said he would celebrate the festival with relatives in Kolkata.

Benapole port’s Assistant Director Faisal Ahsan Sajib said if India resumes its previous visa facilities for Bangladeshi travellers, cross-border passenger flow will increase further that will boost government revenue.

India suspended regular visas for Bangladeshis on 5 August 2024 and later allowed only limited medical and emergency visas.

At that time, only 70 to 80 Bangladeshi passengers crossed daily.

India has slightly relaxed visa issuance for Bangladeshi passport holders due to Durgra Puja and currently around 2,000–2,500 Bangladeshis are crossing into India every day through Benapole, said Faisal Ahsan.