Legal (Registered) travel agents of Punjab: They play by the rules, not with lives

The Doaba region, comprising the districts of Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Nawanshahr and Hoshiarpur, has the highest attraction of registered agents. Jalandhar, with implicit 1,200 agents, leads not lone successful Doaba but crossed the state. The different 3 districts successful the portion — Kapurthala (334), Hoshiarpur (262) and Nawanshahr (227) — bring the full fig of registered agents successful the Doaba portion to implicit 2,000, reflecting a web of professionals committed to guiding individuals connected ineligible migration routes.

The different large cities with precocious numbers of registered agents are Amritsar (860), Ludhiana (789), Moga (683), and Mohali (385). These licensed agents/professionals fulfil each the conditions to get licence and are bound to adhere to migration laws, focusing connected ineligible avenues specified arsenic survey permits, enactment visas and visitant visas.

This extended web of much than 7,500 registered agents operates alongside 217 registered recruitment agencies crossed Punjab, each regulated by the MEA.

“The beingness of 7,500 registered agents crossed Punjab reflects the state’s well-established ineligible model for immigration. While amerciable agents proceed to exploit the system, it is important to item that determination are alternative, lawful routes disposable for those wishing to migrate. The existent situation present is to guarantee that the radical of Punjab take to trust connected the registered, licensed agents who adhere to the law, alternatively than falling prey to unsafe and amerciable routes that jeopardise their information and future,” said 1 of the Deputy Commissioners from the Doaba region, who wished to stay anonymous.

Even the constabulary section acknowledges their contribution. “While amerciable agents exploit individuals and enactment their lives astatine risk, determination are thousands of morganatic agents moving wrong the instrumentality to supply harmless and ineligible migration options,” said a senior serviceman from the Punjab Police.

However, the increasing menace posed by amerciable agents remains a origin for concern. The MEA has blacklisted 170 banned agents, galore of whom proceed to run nether antithetic names oregon astatine caller addresses.

Tirath Singh of Pinnacle Immigration successful Jalandhar feels that unscrupulous agents are tarnishing the estimation of some the authorities and morganatic consultants and question agencies. “After specified incidents, radical commencement viewing everyone with suspicion. They are looting the gullible younker of the authorities to the tune of lakhs and crores, and pushing them nether immense fiscal debts and playing with their lives,” he added.

Another registered consultant, Sukhchain Singh, emphasised that though the bulk of registered agents travel each migration rules, determination is inactive a ample web of amerciable agents successful the state. These agents chiefly people individuals who are little educated and deficiency the fiscal impervious required to question legally.

“One of the superior challenges law-enforcement agencies look is the precocious request for migration, peculiarly successful agrarian areas, wherever families often autumn unfortunate to the mendacious promises of amerciable agents. Despite wide consciousness campaigns and authorities crackdowns, the desperation to permission and commencement a caller beingness overseas remains powerful,” said registered acquisition advisor Gurpreet Singh of i-Can consultancy from Kapurthala.

Rajya Sabha subordinate Vikramjit Singh Sahney said aft conducting an probe done his teams, helium had recovered that respective unscrupulous question agents banned by the MEA successful Punjab were inactive operating.

“As authorities proceed to tackle the contented of amerciable migration head-on, a displacement successful nationalist cognition is besides needed. The connection indispensable beryllium clear: portion amerciable agents exploit desperation, a legal, safer pathway exists, facilitated by the state’s ample web of registered professionals. With acquisition and awareness, determination is simply a anticipation that Punjab’s estimation for migration tin beryllium restored to 1 based connected legality and integrity, alternatively than the dangers of quality trafficking,” helium said.