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| Indian embassy minister Sanjiv Kohli, first secretary M R Qureshi, Dey and Anil Nautiyal at the media briefing yesterday. PICTURE: Jayan Orma |
Indian embassy minister (political) and charge de affaires Sanjiv Kohli said the booklet, which is given free to the community members, is currently printed in Hindi, English and Malayalam.
He said the copies are being made in these three languages as the embassy believes these are the most widely spoken languages among Indians in Qatar.
Kohli said efforts were on to distribute the information booklet on airlines operating from India to Doha so that even first timers would be immensely benefited.
The booklet, he said, provides relevant information on Do’s and Don’ts for the Indian nationals in order to inform them appropriately about the rules, practices and restrictions to be followed while being in Qatar.
The senior embassy official said the booklet provided the state-wise contact details of the relevant government authorities who may be contacted by any Indian individuals while staying in Qatar in the event of any serious issues back home.
Kohli said the ICBF has also developed a leaflet containing the detail procedures for handling death cases in Qatar and transporting mortal remains to India.
ICBF president Nilangshu Dey said his forum would make efforts in coming months to get the general information booklet published in Tamil and Telugu also since there are considerably large numbers of expatriates from the two Indian states.
Dey said the forum’s intention is to reach as many Indians in Qatar as possible with this booklet in the next 100 days.
He said his inquiries found there were 119 affiliated forums to the Indian Cultural Centre (ICC) and many others who were reportedly not registered but still active.
The services of their members would be effectively utilised to distribute the booklet among the Indians living in Qatar.
To mark the formal launch of the booklet, it will be given to representatives of the Indians working in 42 companies in and around Zikrit Industrial Area and its neighbourhood in Dukhan on October 8.
Later, the booklet would be given to the workers of the companies in Al Khor and Mesaieed on October 12. Similarly, workers in Doha’s Industrial Area would also be given copies of the booklet sooner than later. Besides some outlets in the Industrial Area, some exchanges and supermarkets have already been contacted to distribute the same in Mesaieed, Wakrah and Al Khor.
In all, about 100,000 copies of the booklet are to be distributed in India and in Qatar.
Dey said it would also be ensured that the book would reach fishermen staying in Ruweis and Wakra through dedicated visits to the two areas.
Regarding the introduction of the leaflet for better awareness among the Indians for handling death cases locally and for their eventual repatriation, Dey said it would help those in need in the event of emergencies.
“The leaflet would also be distributed to companies, organisations, institutions in the coming days. Adequate copies will be kept in ICBF help desks at the Indian embassy, Al Khor and Dukhan.
In the event of emergencies, said Dey, inquiries for assistance could be made from Abdul Khader Haji (55829616), Abdul Salam (55821005), Wilson Babu (55540250), Rockey Fernandes (55523928) and Syed Ali (55522639).
Besides Kohli and Dey, embassy first secretary M R Qureshi and senior official Anil Nautiyal were present at the briefing.
