Community leaders call for revival of NRI courts, wider police powers and dedicated legislation to address property and inheritance disputes
Punjabi non-resident Indians have called for stronger legal and administrative safeguards in Punjab, including the revival of NRI courts, greater powers for specialised police stations and a comprehensive database of overseas Punjabis.
The demands were raised during an NRI Milni organised in Amritsar by Punjab’s NRI Affairs Minister Dr Ravjot Singh. The meeting brought together about 75 complainants from Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Tarn Taran, along with officials from the NRI Affairs Department, civil administration and police.
One of the key demands was the reappointment of NRI lambardars in villages. NRI Sabha president Parvinder Kaur said such local representatives could help monitor and protect properties owned by overseas Punjabis, particularly in cases involving alleged encroachment and ownership disputes.
The NRI Sabha also sought wider powers for NRI police stations. It proposed allowing station house officers to register first information reports in appropriate cases without having to seek recommendations from the office of the Additional Director General of Police, a process it said could cause delays.
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The community further called for the reactivation of NRI courts to enable faster disposal of cases involving overseas residents
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It also proposed a dedicated NRI Act covering issues such as property, inheritance and policing, along with a panel to examine and draft the required legal framework
Another proposal was the creation of a comprehensive database of overseas Punjabis and special NRI identity cards, modelled on arrangements in Kerala.
Dr Ravjot Singh said most complaints raised at the meeting had been addressed, while directions had been issued to relevant departments, including revenue officials, to resolve the remaining cases within a specified timeframe.
