By Zaigham Ali Mirza

DUBAI - Consular services for Indian expatriates in the UAE will no more be frustrating affair involving delays owing to long queues, incorrectly filled forms and wrong set of documents.

The needy can now download the forms or fill them in online at website of the Consulate General of India.

The launch of the online application service on the consulate's website www.cgidubai.com was announced at a Press conference yesterday by Indian Consul General in Dubai Dr George Joseph.

Billed as a pioneering service by any consulate general in the UAE, and probably in the AGCC countries, the online forms will help reduce the heavy rush at the Indian consulate, which Dr Joseph said has outgrown the capacity it was made for by over four times.

Explaining the functioning of the online service, Akash Arora, Akash Arora, Chief Technical Architect of Netlink - the software firm that developed and donated the application, said that first-time users will be required to sign up by filling an online form giving mandatory and optional details. This would be stored in the consulate's database and would in return be provided with a login identity with a passwords and a unique number.

"The application is designed in a way that some important details the user provides during the signing-up procedure would automatically appear in forms for consular services the user might require. The users need not keep typing in these details in online forms every time they require consular service" he noted.

Mr Arora added that some of the total 36 forms on the website are available for downloading in Portable Document Format (PDF), while the rest can be filled in and submitted online.

"Once the form is filled in and submitted (in case of forms that need not be downloaded), a trained professional will go through it and get back through an e-mail to the user giving details of consular fee for the service, the documents required and an appointment. If there is any error in the submitted form, the same will be notified to the user through an e-mail with a request for correction." he explained.

Dr Joseph pointed out that under the current system people have to wait in queues at the consulate even to get forms for various services. "Delays are caused because of the queues and sometimes people come without the documents required for a particular service.

As a result many people have to visit the consulate more than once to get their work done. The introduction to this service will ensure that these services are provided to people at a more efficient level with minimum wastage of time and money," he said.

The consul general said that the online service would cost users DH10 for every form and proceed would go towards paying the salary of the personnel, who have been appointed by the Indian Community Welfare Committee.

Dr Joseph said that as the first step in providing hassle free service through its website the consulate now offers online submission for passport services and will follow up soon with other consular services such as sworn affidavits and those pertaining to labour.

Talking to Khaleej Times, K.Kumar, Vice President of the Indian Association, Dubai said, "The consulate receives 2,500 to 3,200 people every day and in the absence of expansion plans in terms of its infrastructure, the only viable and smart way to bring in new ideas and utilise available technology."

He pointed out that apart from the obvious benefits the online form system will increase communication and interaction between Indian expatriates in Dubai and the Indian Consulate.

"Besides, the consulate will have detailed information on Indian expatriates owing to the database of profiles.

This will prove very helpful both to the consulate and to the Indian expatriates at large," he commented.

I P Mohanan, Consul for Labour Welfare and Education, who was present during the announcement, lauded the efforts of the Indian expatriate community in Dubai.