Punjab to enact law to enable NRIs to get their property evicted

 by Punjabnewswire4u (Balbir)

CHANDIGARH, JULY 16

 The Punjab Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal, today asked Chief Secretary  Rakesh Singh, who is also Secretary Vigilance to make NRI helpdesks at Vigilance Bureau Headquarter and six Vigilance Ranges at Jalandhar, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Bathinda and Ferozpur functional within one month to enable NRIs to file their complaints of harassment or corruption against government officials.

Accompanied by NRI Affairs Minister Mr. Bikram Singh Majithia, Mr. Badal reviewed the steps taken to redress the grievances of NRIs. Mr. Badal said that we in Punjab have estimated population of 3 crore and 9 million Punjabi Diaspora all over the world has great expectations from SAD-BJP Government.

Mr. Majithia informed that NRI Affairs Department has already taken proactive steps including appointing Commissioner NRI, IG NRI, establishing NRI Commission, Fast Track Courts and six NRI Police Stations all over the state for ensuring effective grievances redressal machinery for them. He said that revenue authorities have been already instructed to specially earmark cases of NRI and send them to DRO, instead of Tehsildar.

Expressing concern over NRIs being harassed in the property cases, Mr. Badal said that he has observed that 75 per cent of NRI complaints pertained to property disputes with their relatives and 25 per cent comprise of matrimonial disputes involving overseas marriages.

Calling for an effective legislation that would allow NRIs to get the possession of the property after returning to their motherland, Mr. Badal said that NRI Department should submit the draft law within one month.

Expressing concern over Punjabis especially illegal immigrants languishing in jails of various countries, Mr. Badal asked the NRI Department to conduct a census of such Punjabis so that legal measure could be taken to get them released from these jails. He also asked the department to create a special legal cell to help such victims.

Mr. Badal said that Vigilance Bureau website for NRIs should have the concerned helpline telephone numbers displayed along with the e mail ID on which NRI could lodge a complaint even if he was in foreign country.

Prominent amongst those present in the meeting included Financial Commissioner, Revenue, Mr. N.S. Kang, Chief Director, Vigilance, Mr. Suresh Arora, Principal Secretary, Deputy CM, Mr. P.S. Aujla and IG NRI, Gurpreet Deo.