Open House: What steps should the government take to keep a check on fake travel agents?

Candidates should check agents’ veracity

Cases of fake travel agents cheating gullible youth have been on the rise for the past few years. Firstly, the government should make it compulsory for all travel agents to procure a valid licence from the government before starting this type of business. The government should verify all credentials relating to genuineness and only after that it should issue licences to travel agents who wish to start their own business. Secondly, punishments or penalties for violating the laws concerning this business should be made stricter. The government should levy huge penalties (in the shape of money) and longer jail sentences to fake travel agents. Lastly, awareness must be raised among youth to pay money only to those travel agents who had previously sent youth to foreign countries. The youth should first verify the authenticity of travel agents by demanding email IDs and contact numbers of the youth already sent by them to foreign countries. They should rely on travel agents only after getting a positive response from the candidates (sent abroad) on their email IDs or phone.

Sanjay Chawla

Lack of jobs to blame for exodus

Have successive governments ever tried to find out the reasons behind the exodus of a large number of youth to foreign countries? Lack of jobs, both in the government and private sectors, is one of the major reasons for their seeking immigration to foreign shores. No concrete steps have, over the years, been taken by the previous governments to address this burning issue. Now to check the fake travel agents in this business, previously in such cases section 420 of the IPC was applied against the defaulter agent which is a bailable offence. But in 2012 Badal government came out with a stringent act in the form of Punjab Travel Professional Regulation Act 2012. But in the meanwhile this disease has reached an acute stage. It is estimated that out of the total 7200 agents in this business in the state only 105 are registered whereas 1400 agents are working in Jalandhar only. Government agencies are not serious in tackling the issue. The fake agents have penetrated to the village level by appointing commission agents there. Government should involve sarpanches to locate such commission agents. Police personnel in civil uniform should pose as relative of the potential emigrant and approach the fake agents in Jalandhar, Phagwara , Nawashahar belt. It has also been observed that majority of complainants don’t come farward to lodge the complaint as black money is involved in such transactions, police should take a lenient view in this regard.

Naresh Johar

Education system has become futile

Two-three decades ago, when the number of those seeking to settle abroad was a trickle, we called it brain drain. Now it is a mass exodus out of India, particularly out of Punjab, and the rate of emigration shows a worrisome 68% increase in a single year. In 2021 alone, the number of young men and women who went out for higher studies was 4,44,553. The figure shot up to 7,50,365 in 2022. In fact, very few go out of the country for higher education. The majority of them leave their homes and hearths for the sake of employment on work permit, by hook or crook. The rush is for Canada, Australia, the UK, the US, etc. Obviously, the rampant unemployment in the state forces even youngsters belonging to well-to-do families to shift to greener pastures. Many raise loans or sell their land, secure an acceptable band in IELTS / PTE and file an application whatever the waiting period for a visa. Nowadays, the trend is for a spousal visa, wife being the applicant. There is hardly any politician or middle-class family around whose son or daughter has not settled abroad. In fact, they themselves spend their vacation there these days. This situation is the result of reckless loot by successive governments in the past and the resultant fallout on our education. The present Chief Minister is trying his best to create jobs for youngsters and reverse the trend, but it is now too little and too late. Moreover, where is the traditional Punjabi culture, its virtuous life, the close-knit neighbourhood, the values, etc? Our youth have understood the futility of our colleges and universities and the hypocrisy of our political and religious leadership. Our congested roads, bad law and order situation, heaps of garbage, polluted groundwater and toxic air cannot convince anyone to defer a life of well-paid hard-work amidst the rule of law and a clean environment.

Prof Mohan Singh

Create environment for youth to stay here

The major reason why young ones want to leave their country is the lack of employment opportunities here. Moreover, education institutions are totally commercial centers and are insulated from market forces, hence totally incompetent to provide employment opportunities. Also, government departments are highly corrupt, and young ones feel suffocated here. The pendency of cases in courts, lawlessness and corruption are a few other reasons that prompt youth to leave the country. This is the reason that they explore channels to go abroad and want to settle where there is a value-based society and they can earn money for their hard work. The unauthorised travel agents, too, exploit them and work under the patronage of political people. There should be strict action against illegal travel agents. The state government should come forward and contact embassies of different countries and organise employment fairs in India. Let the corporate from different countries come here and take skilled people as per their choice. Moreover, educational institutions in India need to collaborate with foreign universities as more technology-driven education will bring employment and shall promote entrepreneurship in the country. Further, the government also needs to give incentives to the industry so that more production units in the country can generate employment opportunities so that the youth can stay here.

Harvinder Singh Chugh

Give list of licensed agents on govt sites

Human trafficking is a sensitive and growing global phenomenon with a long history. A lot of gullible youths are being lured by unscrupulous and fraudulent illegal immigration consultants and travel agents on false promises of getting them settled abroad. Such fake consultants or agents cheat common citizens, especially the youth, and grab huge amounts from them. To check all this, the authorities have already enacted an appropriate legal framework, including the ‘Punjab Travel Professionals Regulation Act, 2014’, to deal with the cases relating to fraud committed by travel agencies involved in facilitating visa or immigration, The Emigration Act, 1983, and provisions of the Indian Panel Code. Besides, regular advisories are issued by the government regarding the effective implementation of such regulations. However, there is an urgent need to create awareness among the public in general, and the youth in particular through seminars and conferences in all schools, colleges, universities, and public fairs, publicity in print and electronic media, along with strict compliance with the available legal framework through a series of measures, such as regularly maintaining and updating the list of all licensed travel agents on the official websites, conducting their physical verification at least once every year, and compulsory display of their credentials and registered license number prominently at their offices.

Dr Kulwant Singh Phull

Streamline process with nodal agency

With offers of phony jobs, a large number of people are tempted to move abroad. Even at a grave risk to life and exchange of huge sum of money, the desperate Punjabi youth run after travel agents to reach abroad. Offices of such travel agencies, many without registration, are mushrooming on the pretext of fulfilling the foreign dream of youth, who without any perusal of their overseas prospectus are leaving behind well-built houses and selling off hard-earned properties made by their parents for meeting hefty expenses. Almost in every big or small city, IETLS/ TOEFL centres, too, have come up in large numbers. It has become an industry of sending people abroad. Many get entrapped in unauthorized centres, though they may not be having enough resources or working skills for overseas employment. There is no denying that local jobs are scarce and legitimate ways to explore better opportunities are tenable, but cheating and exploitation by unscrupulous agents must be curbed. Recently, a big fraud with innocent students in Canada has been committed by an agent supplying fake offer letters. Such fake or unauthorised agents committing heinous crimes are seldom booked due to the lack of regulatory framework. As a result, this infamous trade goes on flourishing beyond proportions. The government must check the loopholes and regulate the process of immigration strictly. The cases of unskilled labour and women being treated as bonded labour in some countries must be viewed seriously as the news of them subjected to untold miseries often come to limelight, which lends disgrace to our nation''s pride. As a cardinal rule, only registered agents under strict scrutiny be allowed to operate to avoid exploitation while the mushrooming of fake agencies be put to end by designating a nodal agency at the state level to streamline immigration process. Also, adequate jobs and better working conditions should be created locally. All efforts be made to fulfil their aspirations internally. In the nation''s interest, we must promptly improvise our systems and upgrade domestic infrastructure so that our citizens lead a quality life and brain drain is avoided.

Nirmaljit Singh Chatrath

Frame guidelines to check menace

There has been a rise in the number of immigration agents in Punjab. Immigration has emerged as a lucrative venture in the state. However, there have been reports about some unscrupulous agents duping gullible students and their parents out of lakhs of rupees by luring them with the prospect of a better future overseas. The fact that as many as 700 students from Punjab are currently facing deportation from Canada should be a wake-up call for all of us. It is high time that government framed some strict guidelines to check the menace. Before any travel agent is allowed to set up business, his antecedents, professional and academic background, his financial status and experience must be verified. The agents must be mandated to furnish documents such as the Aadhaar Card, the PAN card and a passport.

ML Kapur

Rope in panchayats to save village youths

Fraudulent travel agents are cheating gullible students by promising them moon. Even the enactment of various laws to check the menace in Punjab has failed to keep fake travel agents and their mushrooming business in check. The primary reason behind this is the lack of strict enforcement of laws and the unholy nexus of the police and administrative officials with unregistered and fake travel agents. In Jalandhar alone, about 10% of those engaged in travel and visa businesses have got themselves registered as per existing laws and all others are operating illegally without being registered under the very nose of the administration. The shops of such travel agents need to be shut immediately. Further, in rural areas, an effective and constant touch has to be maintained with village panchayats and secretaries to track down fake travel agents and their touts for their illegal activities in the migration of gullible students. Moreover, the state government should appoint a nodal agency overlooking the progress relating to registration of genuine and professional travel agencies and their operations. Such nodal authority should maintain an effective liaison with all major embassies in the country not to issue visa to any aspiring students whose application is without the certificate from the nodal authority regarding the genuineness of travel agency.

Jagdish Chander

Urgent Need to take deterrent action

Some years ago, then-CM Capt Amarinder Singh had issued some orders directing travel agencies dealing in immigration services to strictly adhere to the norms laid down by the state government. However, the fact that 700 Indian students are facing deportation from Canada has raised a lot of eyebrows. Union Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar had to intervene in the matter and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau had to get involved too. Unscrupulous travel agents behind the use of fake documents to facilitate the students’ immigration abroad are to blame for this. But this is not an isolated incident. There have been many cases of travel agents duping unsuspecting residents planning to move overseas. The Government of India and the state government should make immigration agencies take an undertaking that if they engage in any kind of fraudulent activity, they could be prosecuted and fined. Strict punishment would act as a deterrent.

Rajat Kumar Mohindru

Rural belts vulnerable, focus more there

Many students are willing to go abroad, thinking that there are more opportunities and better prospects. However, they often get trapped in the false net of fake agents and lose their parents hard-earned money. The trend of going abroad is not new; it is increased manifolds now, and agents are taking advantage of that. Traveling agencies are on the rise and mushrooming in the city that extract lakhs of rupees in exchange of illegal border crossing. They exploit gullible youth, and ultimately leave them in the lurch. It will be wrong to say that the government is unaware of their action. All these activities are happening under the nose of administration. These are flourishing more in the villages. The only way to keep a track on false agents in the villages is that village heads and sarpanches should involve themselves and enquire about their authentication. Fraudulent traveling agents are arrested from time to time but the situation is not improving, but becoming further serious. There should be registration for these agencies and there should be some centralised agency to check this registration number so that people should be saved from getting robbed of their hard-end money. The grass is greener on the other side, but don''t take that seriously. Try to search and explore options in your own country.

Shashi Kiran

Make an example out of erring agents

There has been a rise in cases of unscrupulous travel agents duping youngsters on the pretext of sending them abroad. To address this issue, the government should consider taking some fresh measures. First of all, there is a need to establish a department or a helpline to assist individuals in verifying the identity and credibility of an immigration agent. The department must maintain a comprehensive list of authorised agents and offer assistance to those in need of immigration services. Additionally, a definitive list of authorised agents could be uploaded on the government’s official website. Secondly, there is a need for a close collaboration between government agencies, law enforcement agencies, and regulatory bodies responsible for immigration for vital information-sharing, the investigation of complaints and appropriate legal steps against fraudulent agents. Thirdly, the agents engaged in immigration fraud should be penalised, as it would act as a significant deterrent.

Lakshit Jindal

QUESTION

Rising incidents of snatching, looting, theft, carjacking, etc., have put a question mark over the security arrangements and highlighted a lack of fear of the police among crime-doers. What steps should the government take to check the rising crime graph?

Suggestions in not more than 200 words can be sent to [email protected]  by Thursday (June 22).

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