Travel agents fail to register themselves, demand reduction in licence fee

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, February 22

Despite repeated reminders by the district authorities, a slew of travel agents have reportedly failed to get themselves registered with the authorities. 

To curb illegal practices by travel agents, the State Assembly had passed the Punjab Prevention of Human Smuggling Act in December 2012. Under the Act, travel agents, emigration consultants or ticketing agents have to get themselves registered. The move came because many youth had been duped or stranded abroad with fake documents.

In 2015, Deputy Commissioners had ordered that every travel agent, International English Language Testing System (IELTS) coaching institute, consultancy and general sale agents had to register at the SDM office within a week. “If any person, company or firm found working without a valid licence, action will be taken under the Punjab Human Trafficking Prevention Rules, 2014,” read the orders.

Travel agents are demanding a reduction in the licence fee, besides the removal of the Act’s provision which allowed search and confiscation of the records by the DSP or the SDM concerned from the houses of the travel agents, without a search warrant. The Act states that if a travel agent is found working without a licence, then he/she can be sent to jail for three to seven years with a fine up to Rs 5 lakh. The licence has to be renewed every five years. 

State government had directed the District Magistrates to issue orders to the police to register cases against the travel agents who failed to get themselves registered. Orders in this regard were then passed to all Deputy Superintendents of Police in Patiala.

Even after repeated reminders from the state government, a large number of travel agents failed to get themselves registered with the district authorities last year. Perturbed over it, the Punjab Government made it mandatory under the Punjab Human Trafficking Prevention (Revised) Rule, 2014, for travel agents and agencies to get themselves registered at the respective SDM offices.

Those who were into the business for more than five years have been asked to deposit Rs 1 lakh, while others have to deposit Rs 25,000. The fee levied on the air-ticketing agents is also Rs 25,000. “In addition, the Suwidha Centres have been collecting Rs 1,500 for the processing of an application, which is to be routed to the offices of SDMs, police stations and CID offices,” claimed a travel agent.

According to the new rules, no agent will be able to operate without a licence as per Section 3 of the Prevention of Human Smuggling Act. The Act states that if found doing so, he/she can be imprisoned for three to seven years with a fine of Rs 5 lakh. 

Patiala DC Ramvir Singh was unavailable for comments.