Passenger train to and from India suspended
Bangladesh Railway (BR) has suspended regular passenger-carrying trips to India following the neighbouring country's travel restrictions on foreigners to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
No train would leave the country for India from today and the decision would remain effective until further notice, Mia Jahan, additional joint director general of BR, told The Daily Star yesterday.
However, operation of freight trains and import-export with India through land ports will continue, officials said.
India suspended visas under several categories until April 15 on Wednesday, which came into effect from Friday. Indian nationals in Bangladesh and Bangladeshis in India would be allowed to go to their countries, an official at the Indian High commission in Dhaka told The Daily Star.
The last trip of Maitree Express, which operates between Dhaka and Kolkata, left Dhaka yesterday with 51 passengers, said Liton Chandra Dey, manager of Dhaka Cantonment Station, where the immigration process is done.
A total of 138 passengers were supposed to go to India but only 51 Indians were allowed by the Indian immigration authorities, Liton told The Daily Star yesterday.
Bangladeshi passengers with special passports would be allowed to go to India but no such passenger was on yesterday's departure list, he added.
A total of 284 passengers were supposed to come to Bangladesh by Maitree Express from Kolkata yesterday, Liton said. He could not confirm whether all returnees are from Bangladesh.
A railway official said Bangladesh was yet to take any steps to suspend the arrival of Indian citizens here.
The Maitree Express operates on Saturdays, Mondays, Tuesday, Wednesdays, and Fridays. It has 456 seats and during peak season, the train leaves Dhaka full of passengers while at other times it leaves with at least 300 people, Liton said.
But, the number of passengers fell significantly in the last 15 days, he added.
Operation of Bandhan Express, which operates between Khulna and Kolkata on Sundays and Thursday, will also remain suspended, Mia Jahan said.
EXPORT-IMPORT TO CONTINUE
However, operation of freight trains between Bangladesh and India will continue.
Usually, two freight trains operate daily between the neighbouring countries, ADG Mia Jahan said.
Besides, export-import through different land ports with India will also continue, report our district correspondents.
Although passengers' transportation through Benapole Land Port was suspended from Friday, export-import via the country's largest land port continued yesterday, Benapole Customs Revenue Officer (Cargo) Rashedul Islam said.
However, Indian nationals in Bangladesh and Bangladeshis in India were allowed to go to their countries, reports our Benapole Correspondent.
Around 3,100 Bangladeshi passport holders, who were in India, returned and 531 Indians left Bangladesh yesterday through this check post, Benapole Check Post Police Immigration Officer-in-Charge Ahsan Habib said.
Besides, passengers with transit visa for Bhutan and Nepal and those who hold official passports, diplomatic visas, UN passports, and SAARC visas will be allowed to enter India.
A medical team at Benapole check post tested around 1.60 lakh passengers till yesterday with a thermal scanner. No one was found with coronavirus, Dr Abdul Majid of the team said.
Rashedul Islam said 395 trucks of goods have been imported from India yesterday while 159 trucks of goods were exported from Bangladesh to India.
Meanwhile, the import-export of goods through Sonamasjid land port in Chapainawabganj also remained active, reports our district correspondent, quoting Harunur Rashid, general secretary of C&F Agents Association of the port.
BIMAN SUSPENDS SOME FLIGHTS
Biman Bangladesh Airlines yesterday suspended its flight to Kathmandu for March 15 and 17, after the Himalayan country stopped on-arrival visas over the fear of the coronavirus spread.
However, the national flag carrier will operate a flight on March 19, Tahera Khandaker, deputy general manager (Public Relations) of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, told The Daily Star.
Further decisions on flight operation to Nepal will be taken later, she said.
Besides, the airlines authorities also suspended its Bangkok flights scheduled for March 16, 23, 30, due to the lack of passengers, she said.
Biman also suspended multiple fights on four domestic routes -- Cox's Bazar, Saidpur, Rajshahi and Jashore --, between March 15-19, for the same reason she added.
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