Kin of Pius Countinho, who is languishing in deportation centre in Doha, say BMC is delaying help with his birth certificate despite informing them of urgency
An undated photo of Pius Wilfred Minino Coutinho, who is currently stranded at a deportation centre in Doha without access to a mobile phone. Pic/By Special Arrangement
Pius Wilfred Minino Coutinho, a Mumbai-based man who moved to Qatar for work about 35 years ago, is now stranded abroad and unable to return home. His last visit to Mumbai was in 2009, and at almost 68 years old, he is dealing with diabetes, limited mobility and has no family support in Qatar.
After misplacing his passport, Coutinho needed a new one, which required his birth certificate. His brother-in-law, Pavithran Nicholson, went to the BMC G North ward to get the document, but said the process has become a major hurdle. “He lost his passport, misplaced it somewhere and was not able to find it, so I went to the BMC ward G North to get his birth certificate so that we can reapply for his passport and get him back home soon,” Nicholson said.
Nicholson claimed the BMC was unhelpful at first. “When I went to the BMC, the lady at the desk refused to look into the date of birth or issue a birth certificate. When I spoke to a superior, she found it in 15 minutes and told me to come the next day to collect it.”
Pavithran Nicholson, brother-in-law of Coutinho
However, when he returned the following day, officials told him the process would take a week or even a month. Nicholson said, “The officials said they have found another man with the same name whose birthday is just a month later than my brother-in-law. They said they would have to verify it. I tried explaining that the process needs to be hurried because he needs medical attention immediately, but they refused to listen.”
Coutinho is currently at a deportation centre in Doha. He has no mobile phone and uses the centre’s phone to make calls. Nicholson said, “When I spoke to the Indian embassy in Doha, they said they will hurry the process if they receive proof of nationality. They could not accept the baptism certificate we have for Coutinho, which is why we need the birth certificate. The delay by the BMC is making the situation worse for him in Qatar.”
Nicholson said the issue is not limited to his family. “While I sat in the office for two continuous days, they kept delaying many people’s corrections in their birth certificates. Previously, when I went to collect my niece’s certificate, I got it the same day. It was not even an urgent need. This time, even after knowing the urgency, they are being apathetic.” mid-day contacted the BMC G North ward for a response on the delay in such a critical case, but calls went unanswered.
2009
Year Coutinho last visited India
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