Amid rising stress between New Delhi and Ottawa, passengers travelling from Canada to India are being subjected to further safety screening now. This resolution was introduced by Canada’s Transport Minister Anita Anand late on Monday night, as a part of new non permanent protocols, carried out “out of an abundance of warning.”
“Transport Canada has carried out non permanent extra safety screening measures,” for travellers to India, Anand was quoted as saying by Canadian broadcaster CBC.
Passengers “could expertise some screening delays whereas these measures are in place.,” she stated.
The improved safety protocols will likely be carried out by the Canadian Air Transport Safety Authority (CATSA), the company liable for screening passengers and their baggage earlier than coming into the restricted areas of Canadian airports.
In view of the brand new protocols, Air Canada has warned passengers certain for Indian locations of longer safety wait occasions and requested them to achieve airports no less than 4 hours earlier than their scheduled departure.
“As a consequence of heightened safety mandates by Transport Canada for all passengers travelling to India, safety wait occasions are anticipated to be longer than anticipated to your upcoming flight,” Hindustan Times reported citing a notification despatched by Air Canada to flyers.
“To minimise any disruption to your journey plans, we suggest you arrive 4 hours previous to your flight’s departure. We respect your endurance and understanding,” the notification added.
The transfer to reinforce safety protocols for travellers to India got here a month after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCPM) claimed it had proof of involvement of “brokers”, appearing on behalf of the Indian authorities, concerned in ‘organised’ crimes in Canada together with extortion, intimidation, coercion and harassment.
India has denied the RCMP’s allegations and stated they had been “merely not true”. India additionally withdrew its Excessive Commissioner in Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma after dismissing Ottawa’s allegations.
Since then, each international locations have expelled one another’s high diplomats. India-Canada ties stay deeply troubled over the North American nation’s alleged assist to Khalistani separatists and its accusation of India’s involvement within the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen who has been designated a terrorist by India.
India has been sustaining that the principle situation between the 2 international locations is that of Canada giving area to pro-Khalistan parts working from Canadian soil with impunity.