Bhubaneswar: A tripartite agreement was signed on Monday between the Home Department, Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), and VFS Global to establish a Visa Application Centre (VAC) at Babasaheb BhimRao Ambedkar Bus Terminal (BSABT) in Odisha Capital.
The agreement was formalised by Additional Secretary (Home) Soumendra Patra; BDA Secretary Manas Ranjan Padhi; and , Associate Vice-President (Administration, South Asia), VFS Global Group, Viney John.
The proposed centre will be set up at BSABT in Baramunda, with the state government allocating around 3,000 square feet of space. The new facility will eliminate the need for residents of Odisha to travel to cities like Kolkata, Delhi, or Hyderabad for visa services, making the process more accessible locally.
Currently, Odisha residents have to travel to Kolkata, Delhi or Hyderabad to submit visa applications, attend biometrics, or handle related processes. The local facility is expected to make these services far more convenient and accessible, saving time and travel costs for students, professionals, families, and business travellers.
The initiative followed approval granted in December by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi for establishing a visa application centre in the state.
On February 21, Union Minister and Sambalpur MP Dharmendra Pradhan said that the facility will become operational starting April 1, coinciding with Utkal Dibasa, following a letter from VFS Global Group CEO informing about visa application services for the United Kingdom and select Schengen countries in the initial phase.
In a separate development, BDA also signed an agreement with the Odisha Computer Application Centre (OCAC) to lease vacant space at the terminal. The agreement was signed by Padhi and OCAC Administrative Officer Mili Samantaray, in the presence of senior officials.
Under this arrangement, BDA will lease approximately 77,000 square feet across two floors to OCAC, which will further allocate the space to IT companies. The move aims to integrate transport, services, and technology within a single hub.
BDA Vice-Chairman Chanchal Rana stated that BSABT is poised to evolve into a combined transport and business hub, housing IT and ITeS companies alongside the Visa Application Centre. He noted that increased footfall at the terminal is expected to benefit vendors and other stakeholders.
Spread over 11 acres, BSABT is the largest bus terminal in Odisha, managing over 1,500 buses and nearly 20,000 passengers daily across inter-state and intra-state routes, making it a key transit hub in the state.