- Saturday, May 18, 2024
The practice was followed many years ago but was stopped more than once due to reasons such as availability of officials on weekdays to address community issues and the Covid-19 pandemic.
By: Twinkle Roy
THE Indian consulate in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was set to resume the ‘open house’ forum to address grievances of the Indian expat community members under its jurisdiction from Saturday (4).
The mission announced that the Indian consul general and officials of the consulate would hear and address issues faced by the Indian nationals living in Dubai and Northern Emirates, related to those such as labour and visa and passport, between 11 am and 1 pm.
The visitors need register for the event and could walk in directly at the consulate auditorium.
A spokesperson for the mission told Gulf News that the new ‘open house’ would be publicised in a big way ever since Satish Kumar Sivan, the current Indian consul general in Dubai, took charge. The official also said that the forum would be held more frequently based on the response of those who take part.
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📢📢 Important Announcement📢📢 pic.twitter.com/LgLOmCfoBq
— India in Dubai (@cgidubai) May 1, 2024
The ‘open house’ was once a regular event at the consulate but was discontinued since the officials of the consulate were tasked with the duty of addressing issues of community members on every weekday morning.
In 2018, the then consul general Vipul, had reintroduced the practice saying that many Indian workers could not afford to visit the mission during the weekdays. But the weekly event got disrupted again with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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In August 2021, Vipul’s successor Dr Aman Puri set in motion a 365-day work policy for the mission, mandating the presence of officials for emergency services between 8 am and 10 am on weekends and public holidays.
Out of the nearly 3.5 million Indians living in the UAE, the majority live in Dubai and Northern Emirates which lie under the jurisdiction of the Indian consulate.
