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Punjab clears fast-track court to resolve NRI disputes
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 4
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today announced the creation of a fast-track court for ensuring quick settlement of NRI cases. Addressing the Punjabi Diaspora after inaugurating the two-day “Pravasi Punjabi Sammellan-2013” here, the Chief Minister said he had cleared the file with regard to the creation of the NRI fast-track court. This would fulfil a long-pending demand of the NRIs.

other decisions
Committee on NRI affairs comprising five Cabinet ministers and an equal number of Punjabi NRIs set up
Three more NRI police stations to be set up for quick disposal of complaints; total 11 now
Only a DSP can register an FIR against an NRI
NRIs can get multiple properties evicted

Reacting to the complaints by NRIs that many of them were deliberately implicated in cases, he said henceforth all complaints against NRIs would be investigated by a DSP-level officer. He would take a decision on whether a case needed to be registered or not in the matter.

The Chief Minister announced the formation of a high-level committee on NRI affairs comprising five senior Cabinet ministers and an equal number of Punjabi NRIs settled across the globe as representatives to implement decisions relating to their welfare taken at various fora. He assured them that the recommendations of the committee would be implemented in a time-bound manner.

Badal also announced that the state government has come up with a landmark legislation by enacting Compulsory Registration of Marriages Act to check the menace of fraudulent marriages and the practice of human trafficking.

Apart from this, the state had also amended the Punjab Urban Rent Control Act to safeguard the property and ownership rights of the NRIs. He also announced that henceforth the NRIs could get their multiple properties evicted.

Announcing a slew of other NRI-friendly measures, Badal said the authority of attestation of power of attorney in the case of property situated in a particular district would now be vested in the Deputy Commissioner. Likewise, the properties located in different districts within the division would be attested by the Divisional Commissioner. Similarly, Financial Commissioner, Revenue, had been authorised to grant the power of attorney for inter division cases. The CM said three more NRI police stations would be set up for quick disposal of the complaints related to NRIs. With this, the total number of NRI police stations will go up to 11.