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On Friday, the site dedication ceremony was carried out, though the consulate won’t be starting visa services soon
(L-R) Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, outgoing US ambassador to India Eric Garcetti, and external affairs minister S Jaishankar. Pic/News18
More than two decades after it was first proposed, India’s IT capital Bengaluru has got a US consulate. However, it has a long way to go before it becomes fully operational. On Friday, the site dedication ceremony was carried out, though the consulate won’t be starting visa services soon.
“Visa services won’t be offered at the beginning. We will bring it as soon as possible,” said Eric Garcetti, the outgoing US ambassador to India.
But external affairs minister S Jaishankar has given some hope to travellers from Bengaluru and Karnataka. He said he would take up the issue with Marco Rubio, the incoming secretary of state in Donald Trump’s administration. “I do understand what the ambassador said, and we ourselves know what it is like to establish a post and get it running. Regarding how soon visa services can be started. I just realised this will be talking point no. 1 when I meet US Secretary Rubio. The sooner we get it done, it is better,” said Jaishankar.
The minister also highlighted how the city was close to his heart as his grandparents lived in Bengaluru, and he “studied a bit here and did district training in Karnataka’s Chikkodi”.
The regional passport offices in Bengaluru issued 8,83,000 passports last year, and the city has three flights every week to San Francisco.
The minister also mentioned the negotiations behind the scenes to ensure the consulate became a reality. He recalled his conversation with US ambassador Garcetti, where he said, “If you get Bengaluru done, I’ll get Los Angeles done.”
The outgoing ambassador, in his last public speech, learnt a few Kannada words to label this as “hosa arambha”, which means it’s a new beginning.
This is the 12th consulate to open in Bengaluru. The consulate of Spain is likely to open soon in the city.
