Duped & stranded: Gulf woes pour in at Pravasi Prajavani

Hyderabad: Less than three months after it was set up, the Pravasi Prajavani has received over 40 grievances from NRIs employed in the Gulf countries. The special counter at Praja Bhavan has been seeing people turn up to get information about missing family members/relatives, file complaints against fraudulent agents, or appeal for help to locate workers stranded in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Muscat. The counter is open for public every Tuesday and Friday. When TOI visited the place on Tuesday, it found Golkonda Lakshmi from Siddipet waiting there to submit a petition seeking assistance for her 25-year-old son. "I borrowed 2 lakh to help my son secure employment in Saudi Arabia, hoping it will finally end our financial difficulties. Unfortunately, the agent's promise of a driver's position turned out to be false, and my son ended up a shepherd. To make matters worse, he hasn't received his wages for the past three months," the teary-eyed mother said.As per her petition, Golkonda Rajavardhan Reddy went to Saudi Arabia in July. And while he had hoped to be taken in as a driver by a family, upon arrival, he was compelled to work as a sheep herder and agricultural farm assistant. She claims Rajavardhan was subjected to verbal, physical and mental abuse by an Indian supervisor."Such stories of despair often go beyond the Gulf nations. Two weeks ago, two individuals from the state went missing in Thailand after being lured there with housekeeping jobs, that promised monthly compensation of 50,000. A case has been registered against the agent," said an official at the NRI cell.The grievances are subsequently forwarded to the MEA and Indian Missions for prompt investigation and resolution. "Currently, we are testing this initiative and will enhance its operations ," said Manda Bheem Reddy, convenor, NRI cell, TPCC.
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.