Washington, June 9 : The US Congress has passed a bill that allows for opening one more consulate in India, in either Hyderabad or Bangalore.

The move to include such a clause in a State Department authorization bill was led by Congressman Joseph Crowley (Democrat, New York) who said his Indian American constituents had been clamouring for this convenience.

"With Bangalore and Hyderabad becoming booming high technology centres the need for the United States to have a close centre to this area is imperative," Crowley said.

During the mark-up hearings for House Resolution 2601, to authorize appropriations for the Department of State for fiscal years 2006 and 2007, Crowley's clause calling for an additional consulate was passed as well.

The US already has consulates in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.

Crowley, the chief deputy whip of the Democratic Party, spoke of the need for such a consular post in southern India. He also announced that the State Department Authorization Bill will include language related to this issue that he successfully added.

"The Congressman negotiated with Henry Hyde and Tom Lantos to get it into the base text of the bill itself," Rep. Crowley's assistant Chris McCannell told IANS. Hyde is chairman of the House International Relations Committee and Lantos is the ranking Democrat on the committee.

The language Crowley secured in the bill says, "and an additional location in ... India". And in his report language, which accompanies the legislation, Crowley directed the US Department of State to choose between Hyderabad and Bangalore as the best location for this new consulate. The bill will go to the floor within the next few weeks for a vote.

Crowley argued for his clause saying, "With Bangalore and Hyderabad becoming booming high technology centres the need for the United States to have a close centre to this area is imperative. I call on the committee and my colleagues in the United States Congress to make the addition of a consular post in southern India a priority. Currently, businesses, immigrants and visitors in southern India have to go to the US consulate in Chennai in order to get a visa or do any other business with the US government. The addition of an additional consulate in either Bangalore or Hyderabad will help both Indians and Americans doing business in southern India," Crowley told the House.

Representing one of the most diverse districts in the country, including one of the largest populations of Indian Americans in the United States, Crowley had been receiving complaints from his constituents over several months, Cannell said. Crowley is also the former chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans.

(IANS)