By V.K. Sharma, MD,
Via e-mail
I am reacting to the front page article — Insensitive Indian Embassy and unhelpful Consulates — published in the India Tribune dated November 7.
My wife, Shobha Sharma, and I submitted applications for the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards on January 6, 2009.
We had our photos taken on the same day and at the same place. My wife’s photographs were found acceptable and her application was approved and she received her OCI documents. However, my photos were rejected, though they were taken at the same place on the same day. So I sent fresh photos two more times and both the times they were rejected.
I was instructed by the Indian Consulate in Chicago to resubmit by e-mail Part A of the application and professionally taken photograph, and this was done on September 10, 2009 and I requested them to send me an acknowledgement by an e-mail. But I have not received a response so far. I sent three follow-up e-mails and a certified letter to the Consulate without any response.
The application rejection is based on the size of the photographs. This could have been avoided if universal passport size photographs are made standard rather than prescribing an odd size photograph which is difficult to obtain for applying the OCI cards.
Consulate keeps mum on OCI card-seeker’s request
