Past president of the Couva/Point Lisas Chamber of Commerce Nal Ramsingh made a public plea with the Indian High Commissioner Arun Kumar Sahu to consider the removal of visas for TT nationals to travel to India.
He was speaking at a joint business meeting on Friday evening between the chamber and the Indian High Commission, at the chamber's auditorium in Couva.
The meeting was titled Trade and Investment Opportunities between TT and India.
Ramsingh, the owner of Ramsingh's Sports World in Couva and Chaguanas, imports equipment and other products from India.
He said he has been in various transactions with businesses in India and has seen the potential for growth and investment for local businesses.
'When I went into the sports business, I found out that the goods from other markets were marked up significantly and then sold to us.'
Ramsingh said to ensure that there was an ease of doing business between both countries visas should be removed.
'People apply for the visa and they may not get it, or you may get a one entry or a two entry. No, that can't work. As a businessman, this nearly deterred me from doing business. Remember we have opportunities to do business in other countries. So please make it easier for us to do business with India before we go somewhere else.'
Kumar Sahu said the request by Ramsingh that requirements for the visa application were not restrictive or difficult and the process was simple.
'The visa application is very easy to make. In fact, the is an e-visa facility that is open to Caribbean citizens and within 24 to 48 hours it comes to your e-mail.
'It is not something that we will be considering immediately. We also give multiple-entry business visas, tourism visas but the long-term visas can be applied for online but then you have to come to us.'
He said there were several other issues the High Commission was looking at including the travel route from TT to India.
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