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Canada may upgrade Chandigarh
liaison office

The Canadian Minister for Natural Resources, Herb Dhaliwal, who left on Friday for New Delhi at the head of a 45-member delegation, will make a major announcement in Chandigarh pertaining to the Canadian government's liaison office there.

"We have an option either to upgrade it [the liaison office] to consulate or consulate-general. It will be a major, major change," Dhaliwal told rediff.com over phone.

"We are still working to finalise it. I think the announcement that I would like to make in Punjab would be a very good one because we have the option now to move one level up or two levels up: consulate-general as opposed to the consulate, which would mean a bigger mission and much bigger profile..." he said.

Sources said Ottawa has decided to upgrade the Chandigarh office to a full consulate-general.

Asked whether he would discuss with Canadian diplomats in India the difficulties faced by Indian businessmen in getting visas, Dhaliwal said, "Yes."

Many people attribute this delay to the location of just one immigration/visa post in New Delhi.

Dhaliwal said after it becomes a full consulate/consulate-general, the Chandigarh office would be able to help hundreds of people in terms of processing visa applications and other matters.

So far the Indian government has not allowed any other country to open an office in Chandigarh.

Among others, Dhaliwal will call on President A P J Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Minister for External Affairs Yashwant Sinha.

Indo-Canadian Member of Parliament (Liberal) Gurbax Gurbax Malhi is accompanying Dhaliwal.

Malhi told rediff.com that he would just to go Chandigarh and wouldn't participate in the activities of the business delegation.

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