Andaman intro single system for tourist permission

Port Blair, Feb 08: The Andaman and Nicobar Administration has decided to institute a Single Window System for all permissions for tourists arriving these Islands.

"This will provide a single point interface to the tourists. The applications received at the window will be sent to the concerned authorities, who will respond to the window with a decision within a pre-decided time limit," informed V K Mishra, the incharge of Andaman's Information and Publicity Unit.

Mishra said at the end of the limit, the applicant will collect the decision from the Window. This time limit will be specified in the acknowledgement letter issued at the time of acceptance of the application.

In case the decision is not communicated at the end of such a time limit, barring rare exceptions to be granted on a case-to-case basis, it will be presumed that the permission had been granted, he said.

To ensure that there are no queries from the authorities concerned after the application had been submitted, the departments will be asked by the Tourism Department to lay down all the requirements before hand and applications will not be accepted at the window unless those requirements are met.

Barring exceptions to be granted at a sufficiently high level, no query will be entertained from the concerned department once an application had been accepted at the window.

"The Window will generate monthly performance report of the individual officers responsible for the various permissions and these will be submitted to the Chief Secretary for his perusal along with a monthly report on the overall functioning of the system," Mishra added.

For the first few weeks of the institution of the system or until the system stabilizes, Secretary (Tourism) will hold open house sessions in the Single Window area between 4 PM and 5 PM every Friday, the IP incharge informed.

UNI