Applicants for Indian tourist visa can walk-in and submit their applications to Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) in Mirpur Road without a prior appointment from October 10 onwards, reports UNB. This measure is aimed at easing access to Indian visa and strengthening people-to-people contacts between India and Bangladesh, said the Indian High Commission in Dhaka yesterday.

Applications will be accepted from 8:30am to 12:30pm. Tourist visa applicants will not be required to submit confirmed tickets to India.

The other existing walk-in schemes of submission of visa applications for non-tourist visas viz., medical visa, business, conference and other types of visas will continue as before.

Further, separate counters for walk-in tourist visas for senior citizens and Mukti-jodhas will also continue.

The new system builds upon the pilot initiative started at IVACs in Chittagong on July 9 and Rajshahi and Rangpur on September 10 and is being extended to IVAC, Mirpur Road on a similar trial basis.