Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan has promised a BJP team, led by former MLA and State vice-president P. Vishnu Kumar Raju, to take up the demand for establishing a Visa Facilitation Service (VFS) centre in Visakhapatnam on a priority basis.
Mr. Raju said in a statement here on Wednesday that Mr. Muraleedharan gave this assurance when he, along with BJP Parliament district president M. Raveendra and SAIL Independent Director Kasi Viswanath Raju, met the Union Minister and impressed upon him the need to set up a VFS Global Service Centre in Visakhapatnam for the benefit of lakhs of people of Andhra Pradesh travelling to other States to get their Visas renewed.
They said though there were 16 VFS centres in India, there was not even one in Andhra Pradesh. Those intending to go abroad from Andhra Pradesh had no other option but to travel to Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru and other cities to give their fingerprints and complete other formalities though their physical presence was not required at the Embassies.
The absence of a VFS centre in the State was forcing them to spend a lot of money and time to go to other States.
Mr. Raju said the Minister had understood the necessity and appreciated the requirement, and assured that the matter would be taken up with the concerned authorities on priority.
