Ahead of Christmas & New Year: Hotels, foreigners, PGs on Police radar

A file photo of foreigners thronging St. Philomena’s Church in city during last Christmas season.

Mysuru: All lodges, hotels, guest houses, home stays and furnished apartments in the city have to mandatorily file particulars of their foreign guests and visitors by submitting ‘C’ Form to comply with legal requirements. Details like the foreigner’s passport number, purpose of visit, phone number, VISA details and the date of departure have to be given in a form available online, said the City Police.

The Police move comes in the wake of Christmas and New Year season that will see a large number of tourists visiting Mysuru. This rule applies to all the places that provide accommodation to foreigners including small and medium apartments, clubs, boarding homes and Dharamshalas.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) N. Vishnuvardhana said that those who do not follow the regulations will be penalised under the Foreigners Act. He said foreign guests staying with friends or relatives should also be registered by the house owners or tenants.

Though the rule was in place, it was not being followed. “Any commercial establishment and sub-let houses where foreigners arrive and reside will come under this rule. The responsibility of not filing the details of the visitor cannot be passed on to the employee or the staff. The management only will be responsible,” he said and added that filling the ‘C’ Form with details of the foreign guest is mandatory.

City Police Commissioner Dr. A. Subrahmanyeswara Rao (in pic.) said that people providing accommodation to foreigners should furnish the details of the guest within 24 hours of their arrival and also ensure that the passport and VISA of their guests are in order.

Though this was made clear on many occasions, the authorities have learnt that the norms were being violated, he added. The owners of such facilities have been directed to visit the website https://indianfrro.gov.in/frro/.

For more details, call Ph: 0821-2418537.

TIGHT SECURITY: The City Police will provide tight security at all areas where crowds gather, especially at churches. Special force will be deployed in and around churches from the night of Dec. 25, Christmas Day, till the celebrations end on Dec. 26.

“After Christmas, we have geared up for New Year’s eve and will ensure peaceful celebrations. Special units like Chamundi Force, Garuda, interceptors, mobile video squad, body-cameras and Special Branch Constables will be on duty and if need be, we will summon reserve forces to maintain law and order,” DCP Vishunuvardhana said.

This post was published on December 22, 2017 6:59 pm