Indian mission's contract with Empost ends

A new contract for providing Indian passport and visa collection and delivery service would be awarded within a week, according to a senior official at the Indian mission in Abu Dhabi.

The current contract with Empost is scheduled to end during the first week of April. “Several companies have applied for the tender and we have shortlisted a few. The contract will be announced within the next six days,” MK Lokesh, Indian Ambassador to the UAE, said on Sunday. Among the companies who have applied for the tender is BLS International, which operates a similar service in Kuwait and several other countries.

Meanwhile, more than 60 people across 15 Empost centres offering Indian passport and visa services and trained specifically for the purpose say they are afraid of losing their jobs if the contract falls through.

In fact, even before the new contract has been officially announced, one rival company has been accused of poaching staff and recruiting employees.

“Some of my own colleagues have been approached. There was an advertisement in one of the local dailies calling for Indian and Filipino nationals. “Currently we are getting around Dh3,500 per month but the new company is offering only Dh2,000 to Dh2,500 per month,” said one of the Empost staff.

Another senior official at Empost also confirmed to 'Emirates 24|7' that attempts are being made to poach its staff. “The new contract is still not announced, with our wide network and experience in the local market we are hoping to get it renewed,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

Although there were some initial hiccups, the passport and visa service has significantly improved since 2008 when it was being handled by the Indian Consulate. Empost currently charges Dh15 for passport and Dh50 for visa application. According to reports, the new tender could result in bringing down this fees by almost 25 per cent.