Bhubaneswar: Now Odisha residents will not have to travel to Kolkata, Delhi or Hyderabad for visa-related services, as the state capital will get a Visa Application Centre soon.The state home department on Monday signed a tripartite agreement with Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and VFS Global to set up a Visa Application Centre at Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar Bus Terminal (BSABT) in Baramunda.The pact was inked among Soumendra Patra, additional secretary (home); Manas Ranjan Padhi, secretary, BDA; and Viney John, associate vice-president (administration, South Asia), VFS Global.The state govt has earmarked around 3,000 square feet at the terminal to house the upcoming facility.The initiative follows approval granted by chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi last Dec. Officials indicated that the centre is expected to be operational soon. “This is really a great relief for people travelling abroad,” Jyotiranjan Sahu, a frequent flyer, said.In a parallel development, BDA also signed an agreement with Odisha Computer Application Centre (OCAC) to lease vacant space at the terminal complex. The agreement was executed by Padhi and Mili Samantaray, administrative officer, OCAC, in the presence of senior officials.Under the plan, BDA will lease around 77,000 square feet across two floors to OCAC, which will then allocate the space to IT and ITeS companies.Chanchal Rana, BDA vice-chairman, said the developments will position BSABT as a central transport-cum-business destination. “With the Visa Application Centre and IT companies coming in, footfall at the terminal will increase, benefiting vendors and all associated stakeholders,” he said.Notably, BSABT, spread over 11 acres, is the largest bus terminal in Odisha, handling over 1,500 buses and nearly 20,000 passengers daily across inter- and intra-state routes. The twin agreements are expected to significantly elevate the terminal’s profile from a transit point to a multifunctional urban hub, officials said.
