Jalandhar: Immigration firms continue to violate norms, admn oblivious

Avneet Kaur

Jalandhar, March 10

Despite the significant scandals involving Brijesh Mishra that ensnared several Punjabi students in legal trouble in Canada, and the recent ‘Donkey flight’ Nicaragua case, it appears that the administration and police have failed to learn any lessons. The immigration firms are openly violating the law, some even operating without a valid licence, right under their nose, yet no action is being taken.

After receiving complaints about Japnoor Travels, a travel company with four branches in Jalandhar, the Jalandhar Tribune utilised RTI to obtain information regarding its licensing status, any issued notices, FIR lodged, and related details. It was discovered that the firm’s licence had expired in July 2023, yet it persists in operating without renewal.

Furthermore, it was learnt through RTI that a person named Karanpreet Singh, had lodged a complaint against this firm for operating without a licence, and acting on it, the DC office wrote to the Commissioner of Police, Jalandhar, on September 19, 2023, requesting an investigation and appropriate action (copy is in possession of Jalandhar Tribune). Despite this, no action has been taken. It has been eight months since the firm’s licence expired, and it continues to operate without oversight or renewal.

In January also, the Jalandhar Tribune covered a report concerning Midwest Immigration Consultant, which was found to be operating despite the suspension of its licence by the district administration the previous year. However, the administration failed to take action in this case as well.

Meanwhile, when this correspondent called at the office of Japnoor Travels to speak with its owner, she was informed by the person answering the call that she would relay the message.

Surprisingly, upon receiving a call back from the office, the caller declined to disclose his name, resorted to foul language, and evaded answering questions about licence details. Instead, he blamed the administration for failing to renew his licence, asserting that he had already applied for renewal and was entitled to continue operating the business regardless.

He boldly stated that he is authorised by the Government of India to operate the business, and was unfazed by any complaints lodged against him and questioned the administration’s rationale for withholding his licence renewal.

Upon reporting the incident to SDM Jai Inder, he assured to take stringent action against the travel agent and a thorough investigation into the matter will be conducted.

Police, admn in deep slumber

From the list obtained from the Government of Punjab’s website, it was learnt that the district administration has a total of 1,602 registered immigration and travel agencies. Of the total 1,602 registered agents, the administration has cancelled the licences of about 254 companies. Surprisingly, despite their licences being cancelled, several of these companies are still active on social media platforms, even though their offices were found closed upon inspection. Some firms were even found operating from their registered office addresses.