No representation from Bangladesh. The 150th-anniversary celebrations of the India Meteorological Department would not be represented by Bangladeshi officials, authorities declared, citing restriction on non-essential foreign travel at government expense.
On Friday, acting Bangladesh Meteorological Department director Mominul Islam said: "The India Meteorological Department invited us to their 150th anniversary celebrations. We maintain good relations and continue to collaborate with them."
However, the official told bdnews24.com that there is an obligation to limit non-essential foreign trips funded by the government and added, "we are not going to the event".
He underlined the frequent interaction between the two organizations, mentioning his recent visit to India on 20 December 2024, for a separate meeting with Indian meteorologists.
The IMD invited several neighboring countries — Pakistan, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives — and countries from the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
A top IMD official said: "We have requested 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 Bangladesh has not responded.
The IMD was actually established in the year 1875 during the British colonial era. It came into existence owing to the cyclone that severely damaged Kolkata in 1864 and subsequent flooding during the monsoon seasons of 1866 and 1871.
Housed in Kolkata initially, it shifted several times, first in 1905 to Shimla, then in 1928 to Pune and finally in 1944, to Delhi. The department would be celebrating its sesquicentennial from 15 January 2025.
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