Relations between New Delhi and Dhaka are thawing after months of political chill, and mobility is high on the agenda. Officials confirmed on 3 April that Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman will travel to India on 8 April for talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar—the first ministerial visit since Bangladesh’s new government took office. Diplomatic sources told The Business Standard that Dhaka will request a timeline for lifting India’s suspension of tourist visas for Bangladeshi nationals, a curb imposed in July 2024 over security concerns. The visa freeze has slashed cross-border leisure travel, medical tourism and small-scale trade that supports thousands of jobs on both sides of the border. Indian officials are expected to link any resumption to new biometric-enrolment capacity at understaffed visa centres in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet. Meanwhile, Bangladesh may seek multiple-entry categories for business travellers and faster processing for patients heading to hospitals in Kolkata, Chennai and Bengaluru. Beyond visas, the ministers will review the lapsed Teesta water-sharing accord, cross-border power projects and land-port modernisation—issues that directly influence the daily movement of people and goods. Observers note that with the Ganges Water Treaty expiring in December, both sides have an incentive to package a mobility breakthrough with a broader economic reset. For corporates operating in the Bay of Bengal corridor, any relaxation could revive weekend leisure demand and slash turnaround times for maintenance crews who shuttle between factories in West Bengal and partner plants near Dhaka. Mobility practitioners should watch for pilot e-visa schemes or trusted-traveller lanes at the Petrapole–Benapole land border as early deliverables.
