Is this the way to attract tourists?
VINUTHNA PEMMARAJU
THE GOVERNMENT of India has been observing Pravasi Bharatiya Divas every year in January. Grand meetings are held; the Prime Minister and other dignitaries make eloquent speeches, exhort the NRIs to render service to their motherland and in return promise steps to make the issue of PIO Card hassle free, open single window to clear projects, etc. So far so good.
However what is the GOI doing to attract tourists? Offices of the Indian High Commission are the places where visas are issued to those who want to visit India. Are these offices on a par with their counterparts in other countries?
I wish to narrate my impression and experience in Birmingham (U.K.) when I went to this office to apply for a PIO Card. It has a pitiable appearance, lacking in minimum facilities causing most discomfort to the hundreds of Indians and foreigners. The attitude of the staff is the same as one finds in government offices in India — unwelcoming and listless.
People wait for over two hours before the opening time on a freezing morning, in front of the office. Only the first 20 lucky persons get sheltered waiting area. The rest are made to stand in freezing cold. They consisted of not only Indians but also Irish, Scottish, British, Italians, etc.; I admired the passion of foreigners to visit India. In my heart of hearts, I had an uneasy feeling that they were being mentally prepared for the much bigger hurdles when they land on Indian soil. The stairs leading to the reception were maintained in a poor condition with walls stained with typical Indian paan.
At the reception, nobody knows where to stand and which counter to approach. Having stood in the second queue for the next one hour, I found out that I should have gone to the other counter. Finally, I managed to hand in my application.
While waiting in the queue, I was curious to know why an Irish man next to me was interested in India. He replied that he would never think of visiting India if it was not for a business trip and it is paid for him. I then asked an English couple. They said it was their second trip and that they loved visiting India. My joy faded when they said that the hassles of getting a visa put off many of their friends.
The second episode started eight weeks later. Having tried the given telephone number for 100 times, I went to collect the card taking annual leave. The first person in the queue was furious saying "I drove 200 miles, wasted one day leave, and now you ask me to come after three days!" The next person's son's name was written wrongly, and it was corrected with pen. I was asked to come the following day. Thank God the next day PIO Cards were issued.
Of course, there were errors in dates of birth and spellings, which were corrected manually. Don't they realise that a passport is one's identity and correcting things manually is an objectionable and uncouth act in this computer age? The Ministers who visit various countries should make it a point to visit the High Commissions to have a first hand account of the state of affairs there.
There were simple suggestions given by the people in the waiting area, which seem to have not occurred to our External Affairs Department:
* Comfortable waiting area.
* Instructions clearly written in the reception.
* Open more counters to lessen the waiting time.
* Friendly and courteous trained staff.
I was disappointed to see the pitiable state of affairs in Birmingham. So must be the case in other countries. I see India as a rapidly growing Asian giant and am proud to be an Indian. I recommend to my foreign friends to visit India because it is rich in its history and has amazing beauty. But I also warn them of this ordeal.
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