Kidwai, who took office on April 23, told Arab News that he has set aside one hour on Wednesdays and Saturdays (10 a.m. to 11 a.m.) exclusively for members of the community to come straight to him with their issues without any appointment.
“I want to encourage people to come forward with any of their problems. I am here to help them. This is an open house,” he said.
People mostly complain about problems with their sponsors and some want help to return home, he said. “We are looking into these cases.”
Talking about a new online service for passports, Kidwai said: “Although the services of renewing or applying for new passports have been outsourced, the online service will help applicants know the status of their applications on the consulate’s website. The service is to start on June 10.”
A career diplomat for 13 years, Kidwai said his other concern is to educate illiterate Indian laborers about their rights.
“Many of these workers, instead of reporting their problems with their sponsors to the consulate, just run away and thus aggravate the situation,” he said, adding that official guidelines are available on the rights of Indians working abroad.
“But do these workers know how to access them? Many don’t even know the names of their sponsors, which makes it very hard for us to help them, and it is our job to educate them on their rights and offer help whenever possible,” the consul general added. “Delhi is looking into the problem of labor workers, and we are trying to set up a database of these workers to help them.”
On the issue of Indians stranded under the Kandara Bridge, Kidwai said each case is being handled on an individual basis. “But until these cases are resolved, we want to set up a health camp there so that they (stranded laborers) can get free health checks,” he said.
On the prospects of having a women’s shelter, he said although currently there is no such shelter in Jeddah, the consulate makes arrangements for those who need alternative accommodation.
He said the issue of fee hikes by the international Indian schools in the Kingdom was being handled by the embassy in Riyadh.
He also revealed plans about moving the consulate to a different location.
“The consulate building is currently in a flood prone area, and our library, computer section, and passport section are on the ground floor. When the rains hit Jeddah, the consulate premises were flooded and our work was affected. That’s why we are looking for another building,” he said.
