Govt will not go back on new visa regulations

New Delhi, Dec 28: Despite the controversy stirred by Shashi Tharoor's tweets and the reservations made by countries such as US and UK, government is not considering changing the new visa rules for tourists.

Senior officials argue that India, just like UK and US, has taken the step to secure the nation and that these decisions should be left to the Home Ministry.

Stressing that there are no complaints from the other countries on the new regulations, the officials informed that Washington did have some questions on the regulations.

"When some foreign missions based in India sought clarity, we told them that if someone has to worry about tourists' arrival, it is India which has to worry and not any other nation," the officials said on the condition of anonymity.

According to the new rule passed on Dec 4 by the Home Ministry, no tourist, having a travel document valid for 180 days, would be allowed to return to the country before a cooling-off period of two months.

Minister of External Affairs, Shashi Tharoor has also expressed his disagreement over this step on Twitter.

OneIndia News