The Kerala government has assured the non-resident Keralites (NRKs), who were cheated by some of the real estate developers of the southern Indian state, of action against the culprits.
From Qatar alone, more than 200 Keralites have been reportedly cheated by real estate
developers in recent years.
Replying to a call made by vice chairman of the Norka Roots and Doha entrepreneur C K Menon at a session for NRKs held as part of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) conference in New Delhi on Thursday, Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said the government was very much aware of the magnitude of the fraud.
He said the government would ensure that justice was done to the victims. Norka Roots is a company managed by the Department of Non-Resident Keralites’ Affaires (Norka).
Many Doha-based victims of the housing scams in Kerala had sought the issue to be highlighted during the PBD Conference. Reacting to this, Menon, who is also chairman of the Overseas Indian Cultural Congress (OICC), moved the issue at a session where Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Home Minister Chennithala, Norka Minister K C Joseph and NRK entrepreneurs M A Yusuffali and Ravi Pillai were present.
Speaking to Gulf Times from New Delhi yesterday, Menon said the Kerala CM and Home Minister had assured the victims of all possible assistance in coming months.
While seeking the establishment of fast-track courts for dealing with land scams, Menon said he believes that only such judicial initiative would ensure justice to the fraud victims.
The OICC chairman appealed to the Kerala authorities to consider the establishment of a regulatory authority to oversee the construction of housing projects. The authority, he said, should have engineers, jurists, tax consultants, chartered accountants, representative of builders and residents associations as members.
Menon said in view of the growing employment opportunities in some of the GCC states, in particular the UAE and Qatar, the India government should explore opportunities for its skilled workforce.
To make the Norka services accessible for NRIs, the government should consider setting up advisory committees of Norka in each GCC state, he added.
Menon speaking at a session for Gulf NRIs at the PBD conference in New Delhi on Thursday.
