Los Angeles mayor urges India to open consulate in America's second-largest city

PTI

Washington, October 2

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and the Indian-American community have urged the Indian government to open a consulate in the second-largest US city and the entertainment capital of the world.

Currently, there are five Indian consulates in the US in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston and Atlanta.

During the state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June, it was announced that India would open two new consulates in the US, one of which would be in Seattle. A group of Indian-American organisations and the Los Angeles (LA) mayor are urging that the second consulate should be opened in their city.

“I ask that you consider the city of Los Angeles for a new Indian consulate. It would be my honour to work with you to open and provide continued support for this important platform for engagement and exchange,” Bass wrote in a recent letter to India's Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu.

“Tourism between India and Los Angeles is another source of mutual benefit, and Los Angeles has invested in India with a dedicated Tourism Office that opened in 2019 and remained open throughout the Covid-19 pandemic," Bass wrote in her letter, a copy of which has been seen by PTI.

With more than 100,000 Indian visitors to Los Angeles every year, a consulate will not only provide important services but become a key partner to expand bilateral cooperation, she said.

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