By Joseph Varghese/Staff Reporter
Thirty-six Indians have died in Qatar so far this year, Indian Ambassador to Qatar Sanjiv Arora said yesterday. He was addressing the media after the monthly Open House for the Indian community was held on the embassy premises.
Ambassador Arora said there were 47 Indian nationals in the central prison in Qatar. “An embassy team visited the prison last week and the deportation centre on Wednesday. There are 227 Indians at the deportation centre as of Wednesday and the figure was 204 in January,” he said, adding that the embassy officials were in touch with the Indian nationals in these places and providing the necessary assistance.
The ambassador said there has been a considerable increase in consular services provided by the Indian embassy in Qatar. “The number of consular services averages around 450-550 on a daily basis, which include issue of passports, attestation of documents, visa services and other miscellaneous services,” he explained.
The envoy also said around 50 visas are issued on a daily basis for various purposes. “There are people who apply for visas for tourist purposes, conferences, business and many more,” he added.
Arora urged the participation of community members in the fund-raising programme of the Indian Community Benevolent Forum (ICBF). He said the forum needs a lot of assistance to realise its commitments and the upcoming show is a great opportunity for the community to show its solidarity with the ICBF’s efforts. The forum will hold its event, Bollywood Comedy, at Regency Halls from 6pm today.
ICBF president Kareem Abdulla gave details of the steps taken by the organisation to help needy community members in February. “The ICBF bore the cost of air tickets for five people at the deportation centre and provided documentary assistance to four persons. In addition, a medical allowance of Rs 25,000 was given to one person besides a minor assistance of Rs 1,180 each to 23 people,” he said.
