Dubai: The executive committee of the Gulf Workers Awareness Center (GWAC) met Dr Immadi Vishnu Vardhan Reddy, the newly appointed Consul General of India in Dubai, during a courtesy visit and congratulated him on assuming office.
The Consulate General of India in Dubai confirmed his appointment on August 3. A 2008-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, Dr Reddy succeeded Satish Kumar Sivan and will lead the mission serving Dubai and the Northern Emirates, which are home to a large Indian expatriate community. He is the first Telangana-born officer to hold the post.
During the meeting on Wednesday, August 12, the GWAC delegation submitted a memorandum outlining key concerns faced by Telangana workers in Dubai and the Northern Emirates. The delegation particularly stressed the need to strengthen awareness among blue-collar workers before they migrate to the Gulf and after their arrival.
The delegation also raised concerns about workers arriving in the UAE with alcohol addiction-related problems. The Consul General heard the concerns and assured the representatives that the issue would be brought to the attention of Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
He also said discussions were being held with de-addiction centres in Dubai to explore medical assistance and rehabilitation support for affected workers.
Dr Vishnu Vardhan Reddy further said efforts were underway to establish a dedicated hospital for Gulf workers. He said the land allocation process was expected to be completed soon, after which construction could begin.
The Consul General expressed his willingness to hold a detailed follow-up meeting with GWAC to examine the concerns of Telangana Gulf workers and work towards a structured action plan.
The delegation recalled GWAC’s efforts to seek greater representation of Telugu-speaking officials in Indian diplomatic missions across the Gulf. Members welcomed the appointment of a Telangana-born officer to the Dubai consulate and described it as the fulfilment of a long-standing aspiration.
GWAC Founder and President Krishna Donikeni assured the Consul General of the organisation’s full cooperation and support in initiatives aimed at protecting the interests of Telangana and Indian workers in the UAE.
The delegation included Krishna Donikeni, Srinivas Rendla, Narender Gadchand, Anil Kumar Katukam, Mote Ramulu, Satish Dharam, Naresh Kalleda, Babu Bose, Samudrala Srinivas, Mallesham Goud, Shankar Laudya, Suman Chintanpally and Srinivas Elakapalli.
