Home
+
An official of the BMD attributes the decision to restrictions on non-essential foreign travel at state expense
Published : 10 Jan 2025, 10:44 PM
Despite invitation, Bangladeshi officials will not be joining the 150th-anniversary celebrations of the India Meteorological Department, or IMD, due to what they says are current restrictions on non-essential foreign travel at state expense.
Mominul Islam, the acting director of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, or BMD, confirmed receiving the invitation from the IMD a month ago.
On Friday, Mominul told bdnews24.com: “The India Meteorological Department invited us to their 150th anniversary celebrations. We maintain good relations and continue to collaborate with them.”
“However," he was quick to add, "we are not going to the event as there is an obligation to limit non-essential foreign trips funded by the government.”
Mominul emphasised the regular contact between the two agencies, and referred to his recent visit to India on Dec 20, 2024 when he met with Indian meteorologists.
Quoting India's national news agency Press Trust of India, or PTI, the NDTV reported that the IMD had invited several neighbouring nations— including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives — as well as countries from the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
A top IMD official told PTI, “We have asked all the countries that were part of India when IMD was launched (150 years ago) to join this festival.”
“Pakistan has already agreed to join the event, but there has been no response from Bangladesh.”
Founded in 1875 during British colonial rule, the IMD was established in response to a series of devastating weather events, including the cyclone that ravaged Kolkata in 1864 and subsequent monsoon-related disasters in 1866 and 1871.
Initially headquartered in Kolkata, the IMD relocated several times, moving to Shimla in 1905, Pune in 1928, and eventually Delhi in 1944. The department will officially mark its sesquicentennial on Jan 15, 2025.
