IGI to get 55 immigration counters to cut queues

NEW DELHI: The home ministry, initiating a time-bound exercise to cut the long queues at Delhi International Airport during peak hours, has decided to set up 55 additional immigration counters, including 20 that will be functional by the end of this month.

Sources said the initiative to improve immigration services will not be limited to the Delhi airport alone. “More immigration counters and manpower will be added in the coming days and months at other international airports with high traffic. The entire immigration process is likely to be reviewed to make it smoother and quicker. The effort is to make the immigration desk at our airports a friendlier place for international travellers. This will create a good “first impression“ of India as a tourist destination,“ said a senior home ministry officer.

Of the new counters cleared for Delhi airport, 20 will be in the departure area while 35 shall serve foreigners arriving on electronic visa. They are scheduled to be all in place by January 2018, taking the total number of immigration kiosks at the Delhi airport to 130. Around 1,800 personnel will be brought in to man the additional counters.

A meeting chaired by Union home secretary Rajiv Gauba on Wednesday and attended by senior officers of Delhi International Airport Ltd ( DIAL) and Bureau of Immigration (BOI), etc decided that 10 new immigration counters will be set up by November 20 and an equal number added by January 2018. To facilitate foreigners ar riving on electronic visas, 10 evisa counters will be made functional by November 30, 2017. Another 25 e-visa counters will come up by January next year. “This will facilitate foreigners availing (of) electronic visa which is becoming increasingly popular,“ said a home ministry official.

The measures to expedite immigration at Delhi international airport are being initiated after recent media reports pointed to long queues and waiting time during peak hours. Taking cognisance of the reports as well as passengers' grievances aired on social media, senior officers of the home ministry and BOI had visited the airport for an onthe-spot assessment.

Based on feedback from the officers, the home secretary met officers of BOI, DIAL and National Informatics Centre on Wednesday to discuss capacity addition through measures such as technology upgradation, provision of modern equipment, creation of additional space for immigration counters, increasing manpower, etc.

“A bigger meeting will be held in the near future to discuss replication of these measures for the country's other international airports.Home minister Rajnath Singh in particularly keen on overhaul of the entire gamut of immigration services,“ said an official.

While DIAL will provide additional space for the immigration counters at Delhi airport, BOI will provide the manpower, computers, passport reading machines, web cameras etc to make them functional.