Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has urged for the need to provide immigration clearance for coastal vessels at Old Mangalore Port.

Vathika Pai, president of KCCI, who presided over an interactive session with Mangaluru Police Commissioner TR Suresh here on Wednesday, said it was mandatory for all coastal vessels calling at major and minor ports to comply with immigration formalities.

Many coastal cargo and passenger vessels belonging to the Lakshadweep Development Corporation call at Old Mangalore Port . Vessels find it difficult to carry out the formalities as there is no immigration check-post at the port.

Stating that the matter has been taken up with the Immigration Officer at New Mangalore Port, Pai said the officer has expressed the inability to attend to it as the port is not under the officer’s jurisdiction of work.

She said immigration clearance for coastal vessels at Old Mangalore Port will help the vessels. The Police Commissioner said Mangaluru has been portrayed as a sensitive region to the outside world. Some incidents created by a minuscule of elements are blown out of proportion.

Mangaluru is not a communally sensitive region, and there is a need to get rid of such a negativity. Any such glorification of incidents affects the trade and commerce in the region, he added.

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