India-bound tourists hit by Visa delays

Travellers with confirmed airline reservations for Indian destinations have run into some turbulence with the Indian Consulate pleading that visa processing will take at least seven days from the date of application in the light of the holiday rush.

South African Allan Smith, Canadian Alice Burton and British national Fred Mansfield are upset that they will not receive their visas in three days which has been the norm.

Burton, who plans to go to southern India, is worried that she will have to reschedule her dates.

"It’s not just the change in dates, but this means changes in hotel reservations as well," she pointed out.

Smith, a company executive who works in Dubai, said, "I was not aware that visa processing would take seven days." He was scheduled to visit friends in Delhi.

Mansfield is concerned that he will have to reschedule his flights to Mumbai and Goa where he plans to enjoy the monsoon season with friends who will be flying from London.

Fouad Ebrahim, a UAE national, just can’t wait to reach Mumbai where his uncle is recovering from a cardiac surgery in a hospital. "I am worried about the visa delay," he said.

Indian Consul General Venu Rajamony said the number of visa seekers had shot up from an average of 400 daily to around 700 since the second week of June when vacations began.

"Consulate staff also work on weekends to clear the rush which will continue for the next two months," he said.