NRIs want to come back but wary of systemic flaws

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Nawanshahr, February 9

“Asi rehna chande haan, pr saadi majboori hai, asi nai reh skde hun,” said NRI Shaminder Singh during the NRI Milni that was held today in Nawanshahr. Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal was present during the meeting and listened to the problems of NRIs who had come from Jalandhar, Nawanshahr, Kapurthala, Roopnagar, Mohali and other districts. A total of 107 complaints were filed, of which 44 were from Nawanshahr, 27 from Jalandhar, 11 from Kapurthala, 15 from Mohali, four from Rupnagar and six from other districts.

NRI Shaminder Singh said the system was improper in the state, that is why NRIs now don’t want to stay here. “Asi socheya si ki saari umar kamm krke asi apna budhapa ethe katange, pr ethe halaat theek nai (We worked hard and had thought that we would spend our retirement days here in our villages, but the situation here is getting worse, so it seems difficult to live here anymore),” said Shaminder Singh.

NRI Mewa Singh said years ago, they went abroad so that they could earn money. “We wanted our children to lead peaceful lives here, but my three children are also now settled abroad. We are fed up with drug menace and the mafia and live here in fear,” he added.

He added that everyone in the state is suffering. “Sab naal ‘dhakka’ ho reha hai. Every day we listen to bad news,” he added.

Another NRI Jagbir Singh Shergill demanded that there should be a single window system for the NRIs so that they could get their work done properly.

Apart from this, there were several complaints regarding property disputes, illegal possession, marital disputes etc. A woman who had come from Roopnagar said that her husband broke all ties with her two years ago when he settled in Canada. “Two years have passed, the police have not ensured justice as my husband is still there,” the woman added.