Minister of State for Interior interacts with QCCI members; Panel to study delay in issuing driver's licence
Doha - The Ministry of Interior yesterday agreed to look into the problems private companies face in hiring workers from nationalities of their choice.
The Minister of State for Interior Affairs, H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani, told a group of Qatari businessmen that their request for an 'open visa policy' for foreign workers and to ease nationality restrictions will be studied.
"The ministry will discuss the issue with the Department of Labour and the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI) and try to find solutions to the problems," he said at an interface with members of the QCCI at the latter's premises last evening.
The number of work visas being issued by the Interior Ministry has doubled recently. From an average of around 1,600 to 1,800 visas the ministry was issuing on an average daily earlier, the number has gone up to between 3,500 and 4,000, said the Minister of State.
In reply to a question from a member of the audience, he said there is presently no shortage of plastic cards to issue IDs.
The meeting was well-attended and present were the QCCI Chairman, Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassem Al Thani and a number of senior Interior Ministry officials, including Colonel Mohamed Saad Al Kharji, Director of the Department of Traffic and Patrol Police.
Some people raised the issue of difficulties in getting drivers' licences and said that some companies were being forced to ask their drivers to take vehicles on the road without a valid licence.
Al Kharji warned that forcing a driver to take a vehicle out on the road without a licence is compromising the safety and security of other people.
Abdullah bin Nasser said that a committee to look into the problems related to delays in issuing licences will be set up.
When he was told that there is a heavy rush at the fingerprinting department every morning despite the fact that it has moved into new and larger premises, he said it was because of the increased inflow of foreign workers and that steps were being taken to ease the congestion.
Ali bin Abdul Latif Almisnad Al Muhannadi, a board member of the QCCI, later told reporters that this was the first of a series of such meetings that would be taking place between the Minister of State and QCCI members.
He also said that a committee which was set up in coordination between the QCCI and Qatar Airways to look into the problems faced by exporters and importers in getting cargo cleared at Doha International Airport, has been armed with powers to resolve a problem on the spot.
Earlier, responding to a question, Abdullah bin Nasser said that the number of absconding workers had risen sharply and there were some companies which were bringing workers from overseas but not sending them for medical tests and fingerprinting and making them stay without proper visas.
He said that some of these workers could have serious and contagious diseases and this was not good for the country. The drive to comb out absconding workers is on, he added.
© The Peninsula 2007
