City needs special zone for diplomatic missions

Need for a special zone for diplomatic missions stressed

December 07, 2016 09:21 am | Updated 09:21 am IST - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:

A long queue before the UAE consulate in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.

A long queue before the UAE consulate in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.

The inconvenience caused to the public after the high-security consulate of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) came up in the congested Manacaud locality here has brought into focus the need for a special zone to house diplomatic missions in the capital.

The UAE consulate has not commenced its functioning fully. Yet it causes discomfort to the citizens and traders in the Attakulangara-Manacaud corridor. The five-storey rented 25,000-sq-ft building dotting the busy road does not have adequate facilities to cater to the needs of hundreds of applicants coming from five southern States.

As entry to the consulate, which started functioning in October, is restricted, the applicants are forced to stand in queue by the roadside, blocking the movement of pedestrians. Those accompanying the applicants from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telengana loiter or sit on the footpath.

On Monday, the consulate had to function till 10 p.m. to cater to 5,000 applicants who were given token for various services after a four-day holiday. Vehicular movement was affected on the corridor as the MC Tower has parking facilities only for official vehicles of the mission. The additional force that was pressed into service and the traffic police were rendered helpless.

Things were not different on Tuesday too. However, traffic flow was not affected, as it was a public holiday. Vehicles use the corridor for proceeding to the Attukal temple and to Kameleswaram, Thiruvallam, Kovalam and beyond, as the four-laning work of the bypass is on. The prison for women, Attakulangara, office of the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Fort subdivision, and the Fort police station are also nearby.

The building has been leased out to the consulate for six years after the government did not respond favourably to the request of the UAE for free land in the capital for it. The UAE authorities zeroed in on the building after checking over 40 buildings. Jamal Hussein Al Zaabi is the Consul General and the consulate has a staff strength of 40.

At present, five consulates function in the capital. The consulate of the Maldives has been functioning since July 12, 2005, followed by Russia, Sri Lanka, the UAE and Germany. Making available land from the central business area and creating a special zone for diplomatic missions as in Chanakyapuri in New Delhi could solve the issue, sources said.

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