In a move to remove sufferings of Indian tourist visa seekers, the High Commission of India (HCI) is introducing SMS-based appointment and One Time Password (OTP) for the tourist visa applicants from Bangladesh.

Now the applicants need not pay any money to anyone who promises facilitation of visa, particularly for appointment dates.

Under the new system, beginning from tomorrow, appointment dates for tourist visa applicants including OTP will be sent to the mobile phone of the applicants by SMS.

It will be mandatory for tourist visa applicants to show this SMS at the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) to enter and deposit the application, said a press release of the HCI.

Applicants are advised to fill in their genuine mobile numbers while filling in their forms and applying for online appointment dates.

This will not apply to the tourist visa applicants who have already received appointment dates up to June 5.

Diplomatic sources at the HCI said that the new and most modern system will greatly improve the entire visa system and remove the suffering of the visa seekers.