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Illegal encroachments, mental MTNL, demented DVB, demeaning Delhi
Police are some of the words used to describe some of the public
service offices in Delhi but no words equal the feelings when it
comes to expressing the dealings of the American Embassy, New
Delhi. Utter disdain to INS approvals, a policy of at least 'n'
number of callous rejections, without any reason, a policy of "inform
the visa seeker as less as possible and when impossible not to
inform, misinform through the receptionist !". These are some
common views expressed by many in Delhi who have experienced the
high-handed dealings of the esteemed consulate.
The receptionists responding at "4198000" answer, "American
Embassy..". "Sir, I want some information regarding H-1 vi...". "Please
dial between 2.00 p.m. and 3.00 p.m and ask for the NIV section."
Between the said time, the telephone line will be constantly
engaged. After 10 days of dialing, I found out that there was an
auto number from where to get the information. The receptionists,
perhaps, had been thinking that callers like to chat with them
and hence did not bother to redirect the callers or maybe the auto
number was introduced only later ! The answering machine supplies
the barest information like the visa issuance fee, application fee
and some couple of documents which I already knew about. Many
cannot go to the Embassy to seek information personally, but
telephones are an integral part of modern day communication and
one can use this instrument of technology in lieu of personal
appearances but somehow the American Embassy does not see eye to
eye on the need for effective and proper form of communication or
maybe, it is the prerogative of the Embassy to remain aloof on
most such matters !
With hardly any clue on what all documents to attach with my
application, I decided, finally, to carry all my documents which
totals to around a hundred !
At the gate of the consulate, I was told by the security guard
that my documents were to be submitted into a drop-box. I was
stunned. This was the first time in my life that I had heard of
such a thing !
What blasphemy ! How can anyone be expected to drop their most
important documents including passport into a post-box ! With a "sorry-pardnur-i-dont-buy-your-stuff",
I tried to reason with the guard saying that I had talked to
the Embassy only yesterday and nobody had informed me about this
box ! The guard calmly handed me a sickly looking yellowish
pamphlet and told me to go the address mentioned in it. I looked
around for help and noticed a notice board which contained the
same information. So, I decided to drop my document and my
passport into the drop-box wherever or whatever it may be. I
puzzled my way to the office, some 20 odd kilometers from the
consulate's office, as to why the consulate should have set up a
post-box, 20 kilometers away ! Upon reaching the address, I found
some 10 odd people standing outside a small building. After
asking around, I found out that the counter would open in an hour
or so. The receptionist at the Embassy did not even bother to
inform about this facility to a caller who had made at least a 50
calls in 10 days !
The doors finally opened and I headed straight for the message
board and the list in it (of documents to submit) was entirely
different from the list told to me by the Embassy and "photocopies"
were to be submitted too ! Fortunately, there was a photocopier in
the premises, albeit at an exorbitant rate ! But, of course, the
explanation was ready - for the 4-times-more-than-the-market-rate
being charged there - the photocopier was not meant for
commercial purposes !! I guess, everything connected to the
American Embassy redefine existing and acknowledged views and
opinions ! When I headed for the counter with all my documents in
my hand, I found a surprise help in a girl, just out of her teens
(I mention this because it must have been a first time for her too),
applying for her H-1B visa.
The counter assistant gave me a "don't worry smile" and took my
documents. Without any ado, she removed one document, the INS
notice of Action, and handing it to me said, "Get me a photocopy
of this". The girl, applying at the adjacent counter, yelped with
shock, "Why ? Nowhere is it written that a photocopy of this
document is required." Again, the counter assistant gave me a "don't
worry" smile, (may be the American Embassy and its associates take
me for a easy plaything !) and said, "I want it". I did as
requested and she took a sum of Rs. 300.00 from me towards "handling,
processing and couriering charges".
Within a couple of days, to my shock, I received the whole set of
documents, sans the application fee draft, with a letter from the
Embassy stating that a document (which I had submitted) was
missing ! I realized I had paid Rs. 300.00 to the handling agent (T.T.Services)
for mishandling my application and had been duped! The Embassy
later revealed that a field in the document was missing and not
the document itself, as mentioned in the letter from the Embassy
! Strange ways of communication the American Embassy, New Delhi,
adopts when the whole world functions on smooth, modern and
efficient forms of communication not to mention how the Embassy
chose to revoke an application approved by INS which is as good
as an approval from the White House ! Rumours or maybe it is the
truth, has it that the security guards have a side business of
which the Embassy or the Embassy staff does not approve ! And
the ones to suffer in this war between the security staff and the
Embassy are innocent visa- -seekers whose careers are decided not
by the sponsoring company or the US rules or the US economy but
the whims and fancies of the counter staff who interview or rather,
who interview according to instructions and questions fixed for
them by the security guards ! Not to mention how qualified the
guards are or how the Embassy allows such a practice!
Please address
comments to -
mymails@jvravichandran.com
J.V.Ravichandran
introduces himself: I am 35 years of age and live in New
Delhi, India. I am a software developer, dramatist, poet,
artistic director (I have directed 4 English plays). I have
developed 4 computer games plus some business softwares namely,
GREYcells Ludo, GREYcells Bricks, GREYcells Tic-Tac-Toe and
GREYcells Brainvita plus GREYcells Accounts for manufacturing
units, GREYcells instograf, GREYcells Speedsheet, GREYcells
Independence and eDove.
I have dramatised Catch-22, the famous novel by Joseph Heller,
which is available on my homepage. I have also written a book
on C and C++ called "C+C++=EC" that too is available on my
homepage. I have written a few poems too which are available
on my homepage. I also write articles on C#(Pronounced C-sharp)
at www.c-sharphelp.com
and www.punecsharp.com.
More details about me and my career can be found on my
homepage at
http://Members.Spree.com/Business/Semantix.
My E-Mail ID -
jvravichandran@yahoo.com. |
