Odisha’s First Visa Application Centre to Open at BSABT
Residents of Odisha will soon no longer need to travel outside the state for visa services. A tripartite agreement was signed today between the Home Department, Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), and VFS Global to establish a dedicated Visa Application Centre (VAC) at the Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar Bus Terminal (BSABT) in Baramunda.
The agreement was formalised by Soumendra Patra, Additional Secretary (Home); Manas Ranjan Padhi, Secretary, BDA; and Viney John, Associate Vice-President (Administration, South Asia), VFS Global Group. The state government has allocated approximately 3,000 square feet of space at the terminal for the centre.
At present, people from Odisha are forced to visit Kolkata, Delhi or Hyderabad to submit visa applications. The new facility will bring this essential service to their doorstep, significantly reducing time, cost and inconvenience.
The move follows the approval granted in December by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi for setting up a Visa Application Centre in the state. Sources say the centre is expected to become operational shortly.
