The Ambassador of India to Qatar Sanjiv Arora (centre) addressing the media at a press briefing held after the monthly Open Forum at the embassy yesterday. The other officials present at the briefing (from left) are, ICBF President Karim Abdullah; Deputy Chief of Mission P S Sasi Kumar; Assistant Counselling Officer Shiv Lal Meena; and Press Officer Suman Sharma. Picture by: Salim Matramkot
DOHA: Only one Indian turned up at the monthly ‘open house’ of the Indian embassy here yesterday lending credence to criticism in the Indian expatriate community that the once-popular forum had gradually turned into a farce.
The fact that the ‘open house’ was conducted on a working day yesterday and just a day’s notice was given to the community has infuriated some community organisations. These bodies are likely to take up the issue with the Indian government. Indian vernacular newspapers published locally carried reports yesterday describing how the monthly ‘open house’ had gradually become just a ritual.
The person who turned up at the event was from the south Indian state of Kerala and had exit permit-related grievances.
Indian Ambassador Sanjiv Arora held a press briefing after the ‘open house’ and was as usual in a hurry to leave, saying nothing about the event.
In his brief interaction with the media, he said some 1,700 labour-related woes of Indians had been registered with the embassy and some 200 Indians were detained at the deportation centres over the last six months.
Until June 24, some 43 Indians were in the Central Prison, and 201 Indians were detained for repatriation until June 27.
“Every month our officers visit the Central Prison and the Deportation Centre to meet Indian inmates,” Arora said.
He said the embassy was taking care of Indian detainees and prisoners, and getting air tickets to send them home.
“During the month of June, 40 Indians were sent back home from the Deportation Centre as a result of follow up by the Embassy. The Embassy provided 23 air tickets to the detainees,” Arora said.
In 2013, a total of 95 deaths have been registered at the Embassy, and in June about 12 Indians died in Qatar. However, the embassy did not provide any further details about the nature or cause of these deaths. Present at the press briefing were P S Sasi Kumar, First Secretary; Sunil Thapliyal, Head of Counseling Section (Second Secretary); Shiv Lal Meena, Assistant Counseling Officer; Suman Sharma, Press officer at the embassy, along with the President of Indian Community Benevolent Forum (ICBF), Kareem Abdullah.
The ICBF said that it will hold a two-day health camp in association with Apollo Clinic in September for Indians, especially unskilled workers living in Industrial Area. The Peninsula
