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Endless immigration queues make flyers see red

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This pic showing long queues at immigration counters, with no official present, at the international airport was tweeted by Soha Ali Khan
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The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA), which opened its swanky T2 terminal to the public a few months ago, has recently been on the receiving end of several complaints regarding sluggish immigration services. Passengers have expressed their agony over the lack of staff and the never-ending queues they need to wait in before getting clearance.

On Friday, it actress Soha Ali Khan's turn to face this problem. She was made to wait for about half an hour after arriving from an international destination, said sources. An agitated Soha tweeted, "This morning at immigration at Mumbai intl airport / not a single officer on duty and plane loads of people waitin" (sic). Soha could not be contacted for comment.

Sources said that the matter had created chaos at the airport. It was finally sorted out after passengers took up the matter with the airport authorities.

CSIA officials said that there is little they can do regarding the matter as immigration checks are under the control of the Foreign Regional Registration Office (FRRO), which falls under the ministry of home affairs. The department was under the Mumbai police till 2009.

Passengers as well as airport sources said that the long queues in the immigration section made the entire experience of traveling experience quite cumbersome. Moreover, a delay for one set of passengers had a domino effect on other flights, thereby delaying them and causing inconvenience to more passengers.

"We are in constant touch with the government to sort out the issue," said an airport official.

Deputy commissioner of police Aswati Dorje, who heads the Bureau of Immigration (Mumbai) said she is on leave and will respond only if specific questions are mailed to her office.

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