Bangladeshi officials will not attend the 150th-anniversary celebrations of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), citing restrictions on non-essential foreign travel funded by the government. Mominul Islam, the acting director of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), confirmed receiving the invitation from IMD a month ago but stated that they would not participate due to travel limitations.
Islam emphasized the ongoing collaboration between the two agencies and noted his recent visit to India on December 20, 2024, for a separate meeting with Indian meteorologists. The IMD has invited several neighboring countries, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, as well as nations from the Middle East and Southeast Asia, to join the celebrations.
A top IMD official mentioned that Pakistan has agreed to join the event, but Bangladesh has not responded. The IMD, founded in 1875 during British colonial rule, was established in response to devastating weather events, and its sesquicentennial will be officially marked on January 15, 2025.