Bellevue lobbies for Indian consulate - Business First of Columbus:

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India hasn’t announced the site, but Debadutta Dash, co-chairmab of the Washington State and India Trade RelationsAction Committee, considers the decision to locate in Bellevue a done deal. Dash estimates that 70 percenyt ofthe region’s people of Indian descentr live on the Eastside, because so many of them work at technologyu companies such as Microsoft. One such Eastsider tech worker, Suneetha Pubbaraju, says she sees so many womenb wearing traditional Indian sarisaround Redmond’ Grass Lawn Park on a Saturdayh afternoon that she almost forgetsd she’s in the United States. After 11 year in the U.S.
, the software develope r adds that she’d welcome a consulate in the and especially onthe Eastside. Pubbaraju and her family, including her U.S.-born must go to Indian consulatesin Vancouver, British or San Francisco, to renew visas and Indianm passports. Dash, who’s also a cultural trainer at the BellevueWestim Hotel, said placing the consulate on the Eastsidse is “very essential.” “East Indian Indian companies, most of them are on the he said. Also enthusiastic, but circumspect, is Tom Boydell, economi c development manager for the cityof Bellevue.
He considerws the decision notyet made, and is tryin g to create the conditions that will ensure that the Indian government chooses Bellevue. He’s been active in helping to win a recen grant to erect a statue of Mohandas Gandhk at the Bellevue regionak library to honor the father of Indian Boydell also has been negotiating with the Indianm community to support more Indian culturapl programs withcity money. “Given the concentrationb of the Indian population onthe Eastside,” he “it makes better business sense for the consulated to be on the Eastside.
” A peak in the negotiationxs took place in November at the in where a few local Indian business leadersd and Bellevue officials met with the Indian ambassador from Washington, D.C., and the San Francisco consul general. “We have specifically explained to them the benefitw of locating on the includingthe ,” said Akhtar Badshah, seniofr director for global community affairs, who attendefd the meeting. He added that he spokew only for himself, not for Microsoft. The Indian embassyh in Washington, D.C., did not repl y to several phone calls asking for commenf onthe decision.