Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, who will take charge as Indian Consul-General in Chicago on August 6, will have his jurisdiction in the Midwest region, which happens to be President Obama’s constituency
Good news for the Hyderabadi diaspora in Chicago. A civil servant
hailing from their city is set to become their Consul-General soon.
Incidentally, he is the first Muslim officer ever to assume this
important position. Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, who just completed a three-year
stint as Indian Ambassador in Yemen, will take charge on August 6 as
Indian Consul-General in Chicago. He succeeds Mukta Tomer.
A career diplomat of the 1989 batch, Dr. Sayeed has his priorities cut
out. He wants to first streamline consular and visa services for Indian
Americans. “I want to make use of the social media to improve
communication,” says Dr. Sayeed.
Chicago has a large Indian population of 3.50 lakh, including 40,000
Hyderabadis. Dr. Sayeed plans to have direct access to Indians through a
website. The idea is to let people communicate their grievances and
suggestions and get quick replies. His consular jurisdiction spreads
across the Midwest region comprising the nine States of Illinois, Iowa,
Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Indiana and
Wisconsin.
The Midwest region is important in that it happens to be the
constituency of President Barrack Obama. Besides, as many as 150 of the
Fortune 500 companies are located there. Dr. Sayeed sees greater scope
for boosting Indian trade and business there. Another priority for him
is addressing the issue of illegal Indian immigrants in Chicago. “Right
now, I don’t know the dimensions of the problem. But definitely we will
guide the immigrants in the conversion of their status so that they can
live legally,” he adds.
Dr. Sayeed has an emotional attachment to Chicago as his father, Awaz
Sayeed, a poet, was buried there. He passed away in 1995. “I look
forward to a very interactive period,” he says. How does he cope with
the hectic schedule? Dr. Sayeed turns to his wife, Farha, and says:
“It’s all because of her support”.
Source: http://tinyurl.com/kouhrms
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