"As we are not allowed to interact with the media, it often happens that the department is seen in bad light whenever any allegations are made against us either by passengers or by media," said a senior official from the immigration department at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA).
Friendly immigrations might seem like an oxymoron to many Mumbaikars, but the authorities are going to give that a shot. Considering the popular perception of the high-handedness of the city airport's immigration department, it has decided to overhaul its image by taking some tangible steps. It is planning to institute a redressal mechanism to look into the difficulties faced by passengers at the airport, and a spokesperson to defend itself against media criticism.
The department, which functions under the home ministry, is known to work away from media glare and, therefore, is usually off-limits.
"As we are not allowed to interact with the media, it often happens that the department is seen in bad light whenever any allegations are made against us either by passengers or by media," said a senior official from the immigration department at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA).
There have been complaints for long about delays caused to passengers at CSIA due to shortage or inefficiency of immigration personnel. "Many a time, the passengers are at fault, but they put out wrong information on media or social media blaming us. By releasing our version through a spokesperson or a designated official, we can at least put the correct picture out in the open," added the official.
In some instances, passengers including some high-profile ones have raised their displeasure with the manner of functioning of the city airport's immigrations. In October last year, actress Soha Ali Khan tweeted pictures of a completely empty immigration desk because of which she and other passengers were apparently delayed.
According to an estimate, there are currently 600 staffers at CSIA, though the minimum requirement is at least 800. Sources from the immigration department said that a requisition for more staff has been sent to the home ministry.
The department was with the Mumbai police till 2009.
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