Southern California is likely to get Indian Consulate after Seattle on West Coast
Our Bureau
Los Angeles, CA
PM Narendra Modi declared the opening of the sixth Indian Consulate during his state visit in Seattle, Washington, and also revealed plans to establish two more consulates in America. The Indian population living in Southern California has long been urging for a new Indian Consulate in Los Angeles. The demand to get Los Angeles recognized as a prime location for a new Indian consulate, is gaining momentum in the form of a petition to the government of India.
Gunjan Bagla, an Indian American entrepreneur has started the petition appealing to the Indian Government to establish a new consulate in Los Angeles. Within a week, the petition has garnered over 2000 supporters. Currently, the United States has five Indian consulates: New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, and Atlanta (in addition to the Embassy in Washington DC) to serve 4.5 million people of Indian origin spread throughout the USA. California is the largest state in the country both in terms of US population and Indian immigrant population (accounting for nearly 20% of the total Indian diaspora in the US).
Although California has an Indian Consulate in San Francisco, it is hardly able to extend its services to the fast-growing Indian community on the south coast. Moreover, for those living in Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and New Mexico, the Indian consulate in San Francisco is way too far. a long drive of more than 8 hours. And booking a flight all the way to Northern California to visit an overburdened consulate with long wait times and fairly little chance of getting the job done in the same visit (especially in case of miscellaneous services that do not require an appointment) is more than just an expensive affair.
Los Angeles is a hub for international travel and is of critical importance as far as India-US strategic partnership and bilateral ties are concerned.
