Amritsar: The Punjab government has cancelled licences of 40 travel agents here for their links to Indian citizens being deported by the US.
These travel agents have apparently made thousands of crores of rupees by milking people from the state with dreams to settle in the US and make it big.
According to an official, notices have also been sent to 271 travel agents by Amritsar Police for failing to renew their licences.
The drive was launched following an order from Amritsar’s deputy commissioner (DC) Sakshi Sahni. All sub-divisional magistrates have also been directed to inspect the offices of travel agents and immigration consultants.
Police have been instructed to report to the DC’s office whenever any complaint is received.
Of the 345 Indian nationals deported by the US so far, 131 are from Punjab. The state government has set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the role of travel agents in this illegal migration of India using ‘Dunki’ routes which allows people without valid documents to somehow enter the US through roundabout ways.
“Of the 171 people from the state who were misled by these bogus travel agents and immigration consultants, only 17 have lodged complaints. Three travel agents have been arrested so far,” said SIT head Praveen Sinha, additional director general, Punjab Police.
Punjab is one of the leading states in the country to have been long plagued by this illegal migration issue. A Travel Professions Regulation Act has been introduced to keep tabs on the activities of travel agents and those engaged in ticketing and consultancy businesses.
Around 3,300 cases have been registered, mostly against unregistered travel agents, since the Act came into being.
