Port Blair, Jan 28: In order to facilitate the entry of the foreigners, Indian Visa Foreign Registration Tracking system known as IVFRT has been launched at Port Blair. The Superintendent of Police, R S Randhawa launched it at a simple function held at Foreigners Registration Office ( FRO) at Port Blair today( 28.01.13).
Speaking on the occasion, he informed that the entire groups of islands are declared as restricted area for the visit by the foreigners. With the introduction of the IVFRT module, the applications by the foreign nationals for the Restricted Area Permit (RAP) can be processed online, he said.
During the interaction, he revealed that necessary awareness has been created among the Hoteliers to register the entry of the foreign nationals on their arrival and furnish the particulars in the prescribed C form. The hoteliers are very cooperative with the police department to track the visit of the foreigners.
Responding to a query, he informed that it has been already proposed to set up a Immigration Check Post(ICP) in Havelock island to facilitate the visit of the foreigners there. He said the Home Ministry will clear the proposal soon after the development of the required infrastructural facilities for the proposed ICP.
Addressing the gathering, Dr RK Mishra, project Director of National Informatics Centre informed that the Mission Mode Project (MMP) at the cost of about 1100 crores is being launched in 770 district level FROs to facilitate the entry of foreign nationals to different parts of the country. Under the project, online foreigner registration services are offered for the extension of Visa permit, Exit permit and change of address etc.,he added.
This project has been already launched in 35 districts in different states. Andaman and Nicobar is the first territory in the entire country where all the modules of IVFRT have been launched and the staff were fully trained to handle the system independently.
He also informed that the internationally accepted MRP – Machine Readable Passport was introduced in the islands one year back and now all the passports including Tatkal passports are being issued in MRP format through Centralized Passport Printing System(CHIPS). He also assured that the National Informatics Centre will extend all sorts of assistance to all the FRO as and when required.
The Technical Director from NIC, A Ravikumar, the project Coordinator for IVFRT for Andaman & Nicobar, Puducherry and Tamilnadu, V Suresh and the Coordinator for the Project from NIC, Port Blair, G Gowdham also gave presentations on various modules of IVFRT including registration by the hoteliers, Foreign students registration and the centralized foreigners registration system. The Dy Superintendent of Police for Immigration, H Singh and Inspector of Police for immigration, Naushad also spoke on the occasion. (PIB)
