Telangana capital city Hyderabad will soon house South Asia’s largest US Consulate Office in Nanakramguda area of the city. The US Consulate General’s office is currently housed in Paigah Palace.
The development was confirmed by US Embassy Charge d’Affaires and Ambassador A. Elizabeth Jones said that the operations will shift to the new office in the first half of 2023, news outlet Siasat said in a report.
Check out the exciting progress coming out of the ground as the new consulate general project in Hyderabad nears completion! @USAndHyderabad @rka_ADS @CaddellConst @IntegrusArch #consulate #construction #architecture #realestate #progress #innovation #Hyderabad #India pic.twitter.com/aMiP1gJz3d— Overseas Buildings Operations (@State_OBO) November 22, 2022
A separate report by news outlet Times Now said that the project cost Rs 2,429 crore and is spread over 12.2 acres in the Financial District. The new office will house 54 visa interview windows.
The US Overseas Building Operations in December shared pictures of the new US Consulate. At that time itself the agency informed that the work was nearing completion.
Hyderabad has an important place when it comes to India-US bilateral ties. It is in Hyderabad that the US opened its first diplomatic office since India’s independence. The Hyderabad Consular District includes the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, the US Embassy website states.
The diplomatic office is currently housed in Paigah Palace, Chiran Fort Lane, Hyderabad. Paigah nobleman Sir Vicar-ul-Umra built the palace, according to the report by Siasat. The double-storied building is spread on four-acre land.
The development comes as hundreds of Indian students and tourists are facing problems getting their desired visas due to long visa interview appointment wait times. In some consulates, the interview wait time for B1/B2 visas is more than 590 days (US Consulate Kolkata). Interview Required Students/Exchange Visitors (F, M, J) wait time is close to 90 days in both New Delhi and Kolkata consulates. It is also 90 days for the Hyderabad consulate.
The US government on previous occasions said that it is working with the concerned authorities to reduce wait times so that tourists as well as students can visit the US for studying and pursuing their careers as well as travel around the country.
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