[ Bengia Ajum ]
ITANAGAR, 22 Mar: The visit of a Singaporean national to Arunachal Pradesh on a tourist visa in 2016 has come under the scanner of the ministry of home affairs (MHA).
According to sources, last year the MHA raised a red flag over the visit and wrote a letter to the government of Arunachal, seeking action against the tour operator who facilitated the visit.
The person, who held a Singaporean passport, had come to Arunachal alone on a tourist visa and visited various parts of the state. His visit, along with obtaining a protected area permit (PAP), was facilitated by a local tour operator of the state. The visit raised eyebrows after the person wrote a book about the various destinations in Arunachal in detail.
“MHA conducted detailed background check and found out that he is a Chinese agent working for the government of China. Accordingly, a notice was issued to the state government to look into the matter and initiate action against the tour operator,” said an official.
Based on the MHA’s instruction, the state government constituted a committee under Land Management Secretary Pankaj Kumar Jha to conduct an inquiry into the incident. When contacted, Jha refused to offer any comment and said, “Better to wait for the report to come out.”
Meanwhile, officials of the tourism department said they are awaiting the final report of the inquiry committee. However, they added that it would be unfair to pin the blame only on the tour operator for the lapses.
“There have been lapses right from the top. People responsible for issuing visas should have also done proper background checking before allowing him to enter India. Tour operator alone cannot be blamed for it,” said an official of the department.
The issue is also affecting the tourism industry in the state. Reportedly, due to this controversy, the state government is yet to start issuing PAP to foreign tourists. With India set to resume scheduled international flights from 27 March onwards, the tour operators of Arunachal are anxiously waiting for the government to resume the issuing of PAP.
“Covid has destroyed our livelihood. The resumption of international flights offers us the opportunity to regain some momentum. But now, due to this Chinese spy case, the government is not issuing PAP. This is unfair. Let the inquiry continue and in the meanwhile, the government should start issuing PAP,” said a local tour operator of Itanagar.
PAPs are issued by the tourism department only to the local tour operators of the state who have valid licenses.
