Open a consulate in Bengaluru please: Kumaraswamy requests US envoy
There are 370 US companies operating out of Karnataka, and still its capital Bengaluru doesn't have a single US consulate. People have to visit Hyderabad or Chennai for their visa and passport interviews and get those crucial documents. Taking this into account, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy urged the US ambassador yesterday to open a consulate in the tech city.
Kumaraswamy assured infrastructure, US envoy said "will look into it"
Kumaraswamy assured the US Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster of necessary infrastructure needed to open a consulate. He further said it's a pertinent issue as the city has "the largest number of American firms." Moreover, hundreds of people from Karnataka work in US and also visit annually as tourists. Juster said he would forward this request to the US Administration.
Resolve issues faced by US companies: Envoy told CM
However, he asked the CM to address the infrastructure problems faced by the US companies on priority. Kumaraswamy replied in affirmation that it'll be taken care of and directed his officials to meet with heads of these companies and resolve the issues. The meeting was also attended by State Chief Secretary Ratna Prabha, who showed the measures taken to improve the network in Bengaluru.
US envoy shown city's road and rail network
Among others, Prabha showed Juster the metro rail, signal-free traffic movement, and elevated express highways in the city. The meeting was also attended by Chennai-based US Consul General Robert G. Burgess, US Economic Officer Joseph Bernath and US Public Affairs Officer Lauren Lovelace. Bengaluru surely needs a consulate, given that all major cities like Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and Hyderabad and Delhi have one.
