DW BUREAU / New Delhi

Raising the issue of increased cases of land grabbing of properties belonging to Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Member of Parliament (MP) Rajya Sabha Satnam Singh Sandhu has urged the Union Government to put in place a robust mechanism for safeguarding the interests of NRIs during the on-going Budget session of Parliament.

Speaking during the budget session of Parliament, Sandhu said, "There has been an rapid increase in land grabbing cases of properties belonging to NRIs in recent times which has created an atmosphere of fear among the community. As a result, the NRI are forced to sell their properties which happens to be the only connection between them and their motherland."

Terming this matter to be in serious in nature, MP Sandhu said that the time has come to build a robust mechanism that can address the growing challenge pertaining to this issue. He added that confidence building measures needs to be taken in order to provide assurance to the NRI community that their ancestral property or land in their motherland is protected by the government.

Notably, as per the record of the Union Ministry of External Affairs, as many as 140 complaints have been received from NRIs about the property disputes from 18 states in the last three and a half years. Out of which the highest number of 22 complaints were received pertaining to Tamil Nadu followed by 18 relating to Uttar Pradesh and 12 to Delhi.

While emphasizing the 'immense contribution' of the NRI community to India's development, Sandhu said, "There are more than 3.5 crore NRIs who play a vital role in the country's economic and social growth. From their invaluable contribution in the freedom struggle of the country to their active involvement in India's progress today. NRIs have not only been sending substantial amount of remittances to India but they are leaving indelible imprint on the global level also."

He further added that in the recently concluded UK Parliament elections, as many as 29 MPs of Indian origin got elected thereby taking the total number of MPs to 40 in both the houses which clearly reflect the growing global influence of the Indian diaspora and country's soft power.

MP Satnam Sandhu gave various suggestions to the government as part of confidence building measures to address the issue of land grabbing cases of NRIs. As a part of the mechanism to protect the properties of NRIs, Sandhu appealed to the government to introduce land mapping management of the properties so that no one can illegally take possession of them. In case of illegal possession, the government should take immediate action by providing one-stop solution or interface to the NRIs.

MP urged the government to ensure a time-bound process for the removal of unauthorized occupants through a

simple notice.

(editor@dailyworld.in)