Lawmakers demand establishment of Consulate General of Nepal in Bangalore

Kathmandu. CPN-UML lawmaker Ain Mahar has demanded the government to immediately establish a Nepali consulate general or diplomatic mission in Bangalore, India.

Taking special time in the House of Representatives on Thursday, the Prime Minister expressed sorrow over the death of Bijay Raj Bhatta of Kedarsyun Rural Municipality-4 of Bajhang who was working at Chandrapur Apartment in Bangalore, India.

Expressing condolences to the bereaved families, the Prime Minister drew the attention of the government to take necessary diplomatic initiatives and conduct serious investigation into the incident.

He said that the body of the deceased is currently at the Surya City Police Office in Bangalore and the government should take the incident seriously.

Stating that more than 20 lakh Nepali workers, students and professionals are living in various states of South India, he said they are facing problems in terms of citizenship, passport, labour disputes, legal assistance, rescue, death and accident management, investment promotion and access to government services.

He urged the government to set up an official Consulate General or diplomatic mission of the Government of Nepal in Bangalore, which is a major economic and overseas centre of South India.

According to him, the establishment of such a mission is not only a matter of expanding diplomatic relations but also to ensure the responsibility and protection of the state towards the Nepali citizens living abroad.

Saying Nepalis living abroad should be respected not only as a means of sending remittances but also as partners in nation building, the lawmakers demanded the government to take the necessary diplomatic, administrative and policy initiatives to establish Nepali Mission in Bangalore.

Stating that the access of the state should reach the citizens, he said that the situation of people having to travel thousands of kilometers to get basic services was not appropriate for democratic governance. He also urged the government to implement the principle of ‘where there is a large presence of Nepalis, there is official presence of Nepal’.