U.S. Indian groups cry foul at Visa delay
By siliconindia   |   Wednesday, 29 December 2010, 13:57 IST
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New York: Close to 800 people gathered in Houston to protest delays in getting Indian visas to visit friends and relatives. At least four people, three of them past presidents of Gujarati Samaj Houston, undertook a fast to register their protest, which was held at the Vallabh Priti Seva Samaj Temple in the city, reports Desi Talk. The protest was sparked by delays due to the new rules introduced this year by the Indian government. Under the new rules, Indians who have acquired American citizenship must surrender their old passports and get a get a surrender certificate before they can get a visa to travel to India. The Houston Chronicle drew attention to the cause with a lengthy report on the fast and the protest in its Dec. 12 issue. Niranjan Patel, president of the Gujarati Samaj, told that around 800-1,000 people walked in through the day to join the protest. The four people who undertook the 24-hour fast were three past presidents of the Gujarati Samaj - Ramesh Shah, P.V. Patel, and P.M. Desai - as well as Lalit Chinoy, all senior citizens. Visas for Indian Americans wishing to travel to India have become tougher to obtain, following new rules initiated in May which require a 'surrender certificate' to show that an old Indian passport has been relinquished to the local consulate. "Some of these people have to go on emergency sometimes to India," says Niranjan Patel. As he heads the Samaj, he gets numerous calls from community members from surrounding states and Texas, who are served by the Houston Consulate.

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