Officer 'asleep'; airport ordeal for elderly NRI

Kolkata: A 65-year-old ill Singapore national of Indian origin was forced to spend Wednesday night at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport without food or water as immigration officials dared not 'disturb' their boss between 10 pm and 7 am for permission to issue a temporary permit, that would allow her to remain in the country till Friday.
Tired after her ordeal, Sona Vora collapsed and fell down a flight of stairs on Thursday morning, injuring herself seriously in the neck and thigh.
Sona married Beckbagan-resident Abbas Vora. She retained her Singapore passport but was granted an Indian resident permit after her marriage.
The permit expired earlier this year. When Sona applied for a fresh one that would serve her purpose till 2010, she was told to get her passport renewed from Singapore. The officer also issued her a temporary permit that would last till she returned from Singapore with a fresh passport. Sona returned to Kolkata at 5 pm. She was carrying the fresh passport but had left the old one - with the temporary permit inside - behind in Singapore. She was, however, carrying documents to establish that she had applied for a fresh permanent resident permit.
15/08/08 Arpit Basu/Times of India

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Airports Aug 2008, Foreign Aug 2008