People in northern Sri Lanka need not go all the way to Colombo to get visas to visit India
with New Delhi Wednesday inaugurating a visa centre in Jaffna.
Indian High Commissioner Ashok K Kantha inaugurated the India Visa Application Centre in Jaffna, the cultural capital of Lankan Tamils.
India is also planning to open a consulate there to oversee the developmental works it is carrying out in war-ravaged northern parts.
He said the visa centre would benefit the people of Jaffna and neighbouring areas.
"This initiative on the part of the High Commission of India will facilitate the visa applicants to submit their visa applications in Jaffna and to take delivery of the passports
from the India Visa Application Centre, Jaffna," he said.
Kantha said he hoped the opening of the new India Visa Application Centre would encourage many more people to obtain visas to India from this region and travel more frequently to India.
"This would promote the traditional close ties between the people of Jaffna and India," he said and reiterated India's commitment to promote closer ties between the people of India and Sri Lanka.
The Government of India also favoured an early
resumption of the ferry service between Talaimannar and Rameswaram as also between Colombo and Tuticorin, Kantha said.
The centre will be operated by the VFS Global who have been successfully running the India Visa Application Centre in Colombo since February 2008.