Terming as “illegal’, NRI Sabha president dissolves 117 overseas units

Moga, Punjab (June 16, 2014): According to a media report published in Daily Post news paper, the NRI Sabha Punjab has dissolved all the 117 overseas appointees in different countries of the world to appoint new members in the overseas units terming such appointees “illegal”.

Earlier, the appointment of overseas unit office bearers including chairman, presidents and others was reportedly done in blatant violation of the NRI Sabha constitution, hence they were dissolved. Till date, Gill had been representing the overseas units in countries like US, UK, Canada, Australia and the European nations.

NRI Sabha president Jasvir Singh Gill has shot off a letter in this regard to the Patron of the Sabha, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal seeking his timely intervention to appoint the new overseas appointees for facilitating the Punjabi Diaspora abroad.

The NRI Sabha has made an ordinance and sent it to NRI Sabha chairman Anurag Verma for approval but no reply was given. “It has been over one year since I had written to chairman Anurag Verma about the urgent need of appointing new overseas members. After getting no response, we have written to CM Badal and would also speak to Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal for bringing better participation of NRIs in overseas units,” he said.

“We were waiting for a final call from the CM Badal and would soon appoint a strong body of overseas units, so that the problems faced by the Punjabi Diaspora abroad could be addressed,” Gill added.

Gill stated that he had sent a proposal of appointing international directors including the office bearers and it would be a step forward to bring more transparency in the functioning of the overseas units. “The former NRI Sabha president Kamaljeet Singh Hayre had appointed many NRIs as chairman, presidents and office bearers of the overseas units in US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Germany, Russia, Spain, Phillipines, Norway, Finland, France, Belgium and Greece without being under the legal ambit of the constitution,” he said.

The NRI Sabha president maintained that even the then NRI Sabha chairman S R Ladhar had also termed such appointments as violation of the sabha constitution. “Despite such directions by Ladhar, many illegal overseas office bearers continued to hold the posts, which was complete violation of the sabha constitution,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention here that the NRI Sabha constitution has clearly spelled out that there shall be a elected or nominated overseas directors in different countries and the central sabha’s executive body would hold the powers of recommending the names to the chairman for approval. “We would appoint new overseas unit office bearers as soon as the final nod from CM Badal was received,” Gill said.