UNDER SCRUTINY
Keeping an eye on foreigners despite red carpet

new delhi: it's one of the few government offices that actually does its duty efficiently and quietly, winning praise from all those who have work there. at one level, the job of the foreigners regional registration office in delhi is to register new entrants and keep track of the number of the foreign citizens in india. but every day, hundreds of foreign nationals come to its office seeking to extend or amend their visas or residence permits. unlike the passport office, where touts hang around soliciting 'customers' who know that directly dealing with officers inside will subject them to lengthy delays, the frro is a haven of politeness and propriety. under the law, any foreigner visiting india for over six months or seeking to extend her or his visa, has to get registered with the frro. known as foreign registration offices in the rest of the country, the term 'regional' has been included in the metros to clarify the jurisdiction of the office. there are five frros in the country. while four frros are situated in the metro cities of delhi, calcutta, mumbai and chennai, the fifth is situated in amritsar to handle the extra load of foreigners entering from the border. the rest of the country is divided into 500 districts and the superintendent of police of each district doubles up as the foreigner registration officer for that area. the delhi frro is situated in sector 1 of r k puram. besides this, there are 56 counters at the arrival and departure lounges in the airport, which are manned round the clock by vigilant officers. these officers, mostly of the rank of sub-inspector, are deputed from the delhi police and bureau of immigration. delhi frro has a strength of 700 trained officers. these officers are inducted into service after a special training of one month. the frro also organises special sessions from time to time to update their skills. their job profile can be classified under four heads — registration, detection, detention and deportation. registration covers the enrolment of foreigners with the ministry of home affairs through the frro. foreigners who enter india with a visa valid for more than 180 days are required to register with the nearest foreigners' registration officer within two weeks of their arrival, even if they do not plan to stay for more than 180 days. this registration is required only once during the validity of their visa. the foreigner may leave the country and re-enter as many times as they desire provided the visa is multi-entry. however, they are required to surrender their registration certificate at the time of their final departure from india. the office is open on weekdays from 9.30 am to 1.30 pm and 2 pm to 4 pm. business visas may be issued for up to five years, with a multiple-entry provision. foreign nationals who wish to work in india must visit india on an employment entry visa and obtain a residential permit from the frro. these visas can be extended locally. the frro also keeps a track of refugees and gives them residential permits on the orders of the ministry of home affairs. these permits are renewed for six months to one year from time to time depending on the policy of the ministry. detection pertains to ensuring that foreigners adhere to the law of the land. frro officials keep a strict watch on movement at the airport — both the incoming and outgoing traffic. they detect forgeries and fraudulent visas. illegal immigrants are promptly stopped. anyone trying to sneak in or out of the country without valid papers is held back. this activity is covered under detention. in case of foreigners, the guilty are send to the detention centre at lampur. the frro then contacts the concerned embassy and finally deports the foreigner back to his original country. similarly, the frro also handles the deportation of foreigners who have overstayed in the country and receives deportation cases of indian nationals from foreign countries. added to this, the frro feeds information to various government departments, including the various intelligence agencies and police departments on any information on foreigners registered with them. especially in case look out cards (or notices) against a foreigner. all channels of information are opened through its fully computerised data and a special team helps to identify the individual. in case a foreigner is caught violating the law — for instance dealing with drugs — the frro is responsible for deportation once the guilty serves the punishment fixed by the court. however, all cases pertaining to pakistani nationals, including immigration, are handled by a special branch under the ministry of home affairs.