Dubai: Union Minister Assures Full-fledged Passport Office to Mangalore
from Shodhan Prasad, Pic Sujay Bendur
Daijiworld Media Network - Dubai
Dubai, Nov 16: "A full-fledged Passport Office is necessary for the people of Mangalore and this is your right demand" said visiting Overseas Indian Affairs minister Vayalar Ravi recently at Florida Hotel Dubai while replying to the demand made by Karnataka Sangha Sharjah president Prabhakar Ambalthere when he met the Minister with his delegates.
The minister promised that he will immediately arrange to meet this long-pending demand and would meet, discuss the same with Indian foreign minister Pranab Mukerji and deputy foreign minister E Ahmed. The Karnataka Sangha Sharjah delegation comprised of Shobha Ambalthere, general secretary Nithyanand Bhandary and treasurer Yadav Kotian along with president Prabhakar Ambalthere.
The minister was in city to witness 'Pravasi Diwas' programme organized by Sharjah Indian Association wherein he was invited as a chief guest.
Prabhakar Ambalthere has recently opened up his mission vision called 'Ambalthere Vision' which not only brings free entertainment to the people of Karnataka living in U A E but also promises to bridge the gap between the NRIs and ministers of India, so that the voice of the former reaches the latter.
Earlier many delegations have voiced their concern to this end. 'Social Struggle for Empowerment', one of these organizations met minister of state in the ministry of foreign affairs Anand Sharma recently at New Delhi. He too raised the hopes and expectations of the citizens of Mangalore and gave assurance to start a full-fledged passport office in Mangalore. "As Mangalore meets all the pre-requisites for setting up of a full-fledged passport office there, it would not be difficult for us to meet this request," he remarked.
At present Mangalore has a Passport Application Centre which only collects the passport applications and it takes months together to get the passport in hand. It is essential to have or upgrade the passport applications collection centre into a full-fledged passport office, stressed Prabhakar Ambalthere to the minister. Though the city complies with the entire eligibility criterion for having the passport office, the ministry has not yet sanctioned the same to the city as yet. The delegation pointed out that even the parliamentary standing committee has already recommended for the opening of a new passport office in Mangalore.
But as of now not even a single passport office is functional in coastal Karnataka as against four passport offices each in neighboring Kerala and Tamil Nadu. As promised the minister, if the office if opened, it can cater not only to the needs of Mangaloreans but also to the needs of people living in the neighboring districts like Uttara Kannada, Kodagu and Shimoga too. "We will have to wait and watch but at the same time a real follow-up by all the associations to this extent will put immense weight on the issue," said Prabhakar Ambalthere.