Nothing easy for beauty queens these days...
TRAVEL WORRIES: Miss India T&T Anushka Dube is scheduled to compete in the Miss India Worldwide competition in New Jersey this Sunday, but has not yet been able to renew her passport or her US visa.Passport runaround for beauty queen
Julien Neaves jneaves@trinidadexpress.com Tuesday, April 3rd 2007
REIGNING Miss India/T&T, Anushka Dube, is scheduled to compete in the Miss India Worldwide competition in New Jersey this Sunday, but is still unaware of whether she will be able to do so, as she has not yet been able to renew her passport or US Visa.
The 17-year-old Chaguanas native beat out 11 other finalists at the local level last May and is scheduled to compete against delegates from 21 other countries for the international crown.
Dube, speaking to the Express yesterday, said she had learned the date of the competition one month ago and attempted to renew her passport and obtain the new machine-readable passport on March 19.
She was informed that she would have to wait ten working days and her requests that it be expedited were initially refused. She was reportedly told by officers "this is not important enough" and "so what if you don't get to go".
"I representing Trinidad and Tobago, something for the country, and I hoped people would have some kind of patriotism," she said.
Dube noted that she visited the office four times and complained about long waiting periods and poor service. Yesterday, she and her mother went to the office and were successful in speaking directly with Chief Immigration Officer Herman Browne.
Browne later told the Express that Dube explained the problem to him and he had the passport expedited, but could not comment on what had occurred before.
Dube paid the fee for the passport and was told it should be ready today at 1 p.m. or "definitely" by tomorrow, the day she was supposed to arrive for the pageant. She is also yet to book her flight for the pageant.
Dube noted that if she arrived late she would miss some of the sub-competitions, which would result in her losing points and reducing her chances at winning. She added that if she is unable to attend, she would have to reimburse the pageant management the fee of US$5,000, which they had paid for her to enter the competition.
Dube said a lot of money had been spent on clothes for the pageant.
Contacted on the issue, chief co-ordinator of the local pageant, Mahendra Rampersad, said he had total faith and confidence in Dube and believes everything would be organised in time for the pageant.