PASSPORT REVOCATION ISSUE
PANAJI
Goans for Goa’s (GFG) primary demand to the govt is to give immediate relief to the people affected by the revocation of Indian passports, due to the internal circular passed by MEA on November 30, 2022, without putting it in the public domain. Due to this circular, people who had renewed their Indian passport, after registering their birth in Portugal, their Indian passport are revoked, when they voluntarily go to the passport office to surrender their Indian passport, according to a press release from Kennedy Afonso,
Convenor ( GFG).
This is a very serious issue , and both CM Pramod Sawant and NRI Commisioner Narendra Sarwaikar, must realise that Goans are worried about the revocation of their Indian passports, as it has created turmoil in their lives. Some were forced to leave the country on an exit permit , and come back on a visit visa . There are many others , who have not yet revoked their Indian passports, hoping that the Goa govt will find some solutions to their problems soon, says the press release.
There are other revoked passport holders, who have applied for X 1 visa , for last 4 to 5 months , with the hope of staying in India for 1 year as a foreigner, but even this is not granted as yet to them . Which means they are compelled to stay illegally in the India , and will eventually end up paying huge fines. Therefore, the govt must immediately move to impress the Central Government, and MEA, immediately to resolve the matter, to recall the circular with immediate effect, and stall the revocation process, and grant a one time amnesty for revoked passport holders to obtain a surrender certificate, so they could apply for OCI status, adds the press release.
It's been more than a year since Indian passport are getting revoked, and there's still no solution. If the Goa govt cannot give relief to it’s people suffering due to revocation of passports, how can one except the govt to give dual citizenship to Goa, when it’s denied to all other Indian diaspora ?
GFG reiterates, that even though dual citizenship is one of the solutions they have suggested, it is not of immediate concern, as it is not likely to happen any time soon, to give relief to the people affected by the revocation of passport, and the govt should focus all its energy on first giving relief to the people affected by the revocation of Indian passports, either by pulling back the circular, or by giving a one time amnesty to the revoked passport holders, by issuing a Surrender Certificate, so they could apply for OCI, says the press release.
So far no feedback is forthcoming from either NRI Commissioner Narendra Sarwaikar, MP Sadanand Tanavade, or the CM Pramod Sawant, on a possible solution. If no solutions are forthcoming before the election code kicks in, GFG will have to move the High Court, with the hope of giving relief to the affected people, the press release concludes.
