Now, helpline to assist NRIs in getting passports back

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, September 19

In a fresh order released by the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation on Friday, NRIs visiting their native places in the district can collect their passports from the MC office on completion of their quarantine.

To curb the spread of Covid-19, the state government had directed all airport authorities in the state to collect passports of people arriving here from foreign countries before sending them for institutional quarantine. They could later collect their passports from the authorities concerned or their district officials. However, it had come to fore that most of the NRIs were unable to receive their passports back.

The Tribune had highlighted the issue concerning a bunch of Dubai returnees in the district who were running from pillar to post to get their passports back.

Subsequently, the MC officials issued helpline numbers and the information about the offices concerned for collecting passports.

MC Joint Commissioner Harcharan Singh said: “Passports of NRIs, who landed at the Amritsar airport, can be collected either from the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Amritsar or from NRI branch. And those NRIs, who landed at the Mohali airport can receive their passports from Civil Secretariat Chandigarh and MC office Jalandhar.”

where to Contact

• A special staff has been deputed and special counters set up at the facilitation centre in the basement of the main building of the MC office.
• An updated list will also be uploaded as public notice on MC website daily, which can be assessed at www.mcjalandhar. in and people coming to collect their passport should verify their name in the list beforehand and bring their Covid test negative report along with any receipt of depositing their passport at the airport.
• Against a large number of passports received from airports, a few people were coming to get these back. Hence, people who had submitted their passports were requested to collect their passports on any working day from 10am to 1pm and 3pm to 5pm.
• Queries can also be made at following numbers 9888778404, 9464714142, 0181-5051124, 0181-2242411.