Despite banned by Centre, 13 travel agents still functioning in four districts: MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney
Neeraj Bagga
Amritsar, June 20
After Member of Parliament Vikramjit Singh Sahney released a list of banned travel agents still active in the region, it has revealed gaps in the functioning of the government and its departments.
There are a total of 13 travel agents who were banned by the Central Government but are still actively working in the region. Of these, six are in the district. These are Wings International, SCO 12, B-Block, Main Market, GT road, New Amritsar; Seven Seas Enterprise, Omega Tower, First Floor, Opposite Swani Motors, Court Road; Boarding Pass Consultancy Pvt Ltd, D-Block, Ranjeet Avenue; Smart Tech Overseas Reg Office No. 2, Bawa Market, GT Road Rayya; one Tarmir Singh and Oober Travels.
Three of them are in neighbouring Tarn Taran. Their given addresses are Paramjit Singh and Sukhveer Kaur of village Sarhali, Sukhjeet Singh from Gurinder Printing Press Street, Nurdi Stand, and Mandeep Singh of Tarn Taran.
Two travel agents banned in Pathankot are Aarav Academy, House No. B/47, Ramnagar, Dalhousie Road, Pathankot and Gurung Overseas Pvt Ltd, second floor, Nanda Complex, Opposite Venice Hotel, Dhangu Road, Pathankot.
An equal number of travel agents booked in Gurdaspur are Ravi, Sarabjit Kaur, Vikaram and Gopi, operating from Qadian Gujjar, Shahpur Garaya, Dera Baba Nanak, Gurudaspur and Sharanjit Singh of Mustafabad Centre, Babehali (Gurdaspur).
When Amritsar Tribune approached the district heads of police from Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Batala and Pathankot, most of them said they would act against them.
HS Dhaliwal, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, said that the moment they receive the list, the anti-human trafficking wing would start taking action against these travel agents.
Harkamal Preet Singh Khakh, SSP, Pathankot, said “As far as Aarav Academy owned by Sanjeev Joshi is concerned, the Pathankot Deputy Commissioner has given him a licence to operate which means he is operating his business in a legal manner. As for Gurung Overseas Private Limited, we had received a complaint on the basis of which an FIR had been registered on May 19, 2021 under Section 420 of IPC (and the Emigration Act at the Division No. 2 police station. He was arrested on April 4, 2023,” said SSP Khakh.
Senior police officials of Gurdaspur said that so far nobody had filed a complaint against the owners of Mustafabad Centre, Gurdaspur. “However, we are keeping a tab on their activities. The police are acting and will continue to act strictly against anyone involved in human trafficking,” he said.
Ashwini Gotyal, SSP, Batala, said, “We have checked the antecedents of the Dera Baba Nanak-based travel agent. As for now, there is no complaint against him. However, I have asked the SHO of Dera Baba Nanak police station to check if he has any past criminal record. In any case, we are keeping a strict watch on the activities of such agents in this police district.”
Gurmeet Singh Chauhan, SSP, Tarn Taran, said three local women who returned from Oman did not go through these travel agents. “Yet we will probe the working of these travel agents whose name figured in the list of banned travel agents,” he said.
Of them, six are based in district
There are a total of 13 travel agents who were banned by the Central Government but are still actively working in the region. Of these, six are in the district. These are Wings International, SCO 12, B-Block, Main Market, GT road, New Amritsar; Seven Seas Enterprise, Omega Tower, First Floor, Opposite Swani Motors, Court Road; Boarding Pass Consultancy Pvt Ltd, D-Block, Ranjeet Avenue; Smart Tech Overseas Reg Office No. 2, Bawa Market, GT Road Rayya; one Tarmir Singh and Oober Travels.
