These people are putting up in a shelter at a local Gurudwara and are facing difficulties as they are being asked to give 450 Riyal (approx Rs 80,000) for acquiring passport.
Over a dozen residents of Rajasthan are feared to be stranded at Oman, while many of them have appealed to the union external affairs minister seeking help in returning home. These people, mostly from Shekhawati region of Rajasthan had traveled to Oman in pursuit of better pay and work opportunity, however, they were forced to work as bonded labour and are now stranded without their passport and travel documents. These people are putting up in a shelter at a local Gurudwara and are facing difficulties as they are being asked to give 450 Riyal (approx Rs 80,000) for acquiring passport.
“It had been for 11 months that the company had not paid us anything, we are almost broke,” Majid narrated his plight to his relatives in Jaipur on internet. He had reportedly paid Rs 70,000 to an agent for getting employment at a company in Oman on monthly wages of 190 Riyal. However, on arrival at Oman his passport and documents were taken away and with no option to escape, he was made to work for months just for food.
Others trapped with him shared similar stories, “We approached the Indian embassy after continuously being denied of due payment, the embassy has made us stay at a Gurudwara but our passport are still with the company and we are being asked to deposit 450 Riyal if we wish to get back the documents,” said another victim Girdhari Lal from Baggad.
As these people are faced with hardships in a foreign land their families are devastated back home. Most of them come from families of humble background and have arranged for the agent fees in hope of good monetary returns. These families to have lost money are now fearing safety of their relatives. They have now sought help from the external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.
Along with them are residents of several other states as well who are stranded in Oman. The Indian embassy on Sunday visited a camp of such workers at Taqah in Salah where 145 Indian and 315 Bangladeshi workers have been provided shelter. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj informed that food was provisioned for these 460 people while efforts are in process to rescue them.
RESCUE EFFORTS UNDERWAY
- These people, mostly from Shekhawati region of Rajasthan had traveled to Oman in pursuit of better pay and work opportunity, however, they were forced to work as bonded labour.
- Along with them are residents of several other states as well who are stranded in Oman. The Indian embassy on Sunday visited a camp of such workers at Taqah in Salah where 145 Indian and 315 Bangladeshi workers have been provided shelter. External affairs minister informed that food was provisioned for these 460 people while efforts are in process to rescue them.
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