Indians from the Eastern Province recently presented their grievances, at meetings held in Riyadh, to Vayalar Ravi, Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs, listing their labor and social problems and calling for a consulate to be set up in the region. In response, Ravi assured Indians living here that he would prioritize the establishment of a consulate in the Eastern Province. Other grievances listed include initiatives to educate students, open Indian universities, solve the problem of sponsors declaring their workers runaways, and tackling the trade in fake visas. P.M. Mohammed Najeeb, president of the Overseas Indian Congress Committee (OICC), who led the delegation, handed over the memorandum to Ravi. “We have drawn the minister's attention to a number of issues that non-resident Indians (NRI) are facing in Saudi Arabia,” Najeeb told Saudi Gazette. “The minister assured us that he will try his best to open a consulate office in the Eastern Province. This is a long-standing issue.” A consulate is needed in Dammam because 35 percent of the 1.9 million Indians in the Kingdom work in the Eastern Province. Indian workers encounter great difficulties in getting all their documentation completed, according to the memorandum. Although consular teams from the Indian Embassy in Riyadh visit the Eastern Province twice a week, a sizeable number of low income workers are unable to get access to these services. Many workers are also unable to visit Riyadh because of the distance and cost involved, stated Najeeb in the memorandum. Kadavand Kunhimohammed, secretary general of the Kerala Muslim Cultural Center (KMCC), one of the oldest expatriate organizations in the Middle East, briefed the minister on the increasing number of house burglaries, thefts and muggings in the Kingdom, especially in the Eastern Province. “We urged the minister to take up the matter with the higher Saudi authorities for the safety and security of the Indian community,” he said. “The Indian government should also introduce important schemes for the employment and rehabilitation of returning Indians,” said Kunhimohammed. Indians working in the Gulf region are a major source of foreign exchange for the Indian exchequer, he added. Kunhimohammed also wanted action on the delays in the repatriation of dead bodies from the Kingdom to India. He also wanted the minister to tackle increases in airfares, and unusual delays and cancellation of flights by Air India during Eid and Christmas holidays. The Kerala Relief Wing (KRW), a social charity organization, also presented a memorandum to the minister calling for Saudi nationals to be recruited at the embassy's office to help with labor issues and other matters related to the Saudi government.
