Evacuation, not rehab schemes, the priority for Norka Roots now

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Norka Roots helpline number for Malayalis stranded in Iraq has been getting continuous calls ever since it was set up. On Monday, 21 nurses employed in a hospital at Kirkuk in northern Iraq requested that they be evacuated immediately. The region is currently under the control of Kurdish fighters. It looks like every Indian in Iraq now wants to come back, said a Norka Roots official.Rehabilitating all the returnees will be a formidable challenge for the department which is already facing flak for not considering the construction workers for its rehabilitation package.Though 46 nurses returned unscathed from Tikrit recently, there are countless others awaiting tickets and many more awaiting exit documentation from the Indian Mission in Iraq. "As of now, there are 145 people who have returned from Iraq as per records. This 'official status' has been given to them because they have registered in one of the three help desks set up in Kochi, Mumbai and New Delhi and their air tickets were provided by the Indian government," said a Norka official. He added that some tickets were also provided by the Iraqi health ministry after the ISIS situation escalated.Though Norka Roots recently organized a meeting between the 46 Tikrit nurses and potential job providers, it has ruled out holding more such meetings in the near future. "The 46 nurses were also given cash gifts. Norka will think of such a programme only after bringing back all the nurses safely home. If anyone wants to be reemployed immediately, we can help them network with the hospitals," the official said.Meanwhile, some 25 nurses who had returned earlier between December and April have expressed displeasure over the cash gifts given to the 46 Tikrit nurses. Soumya Raju who was employed at a hospital in Fallujah and was detained by ISIS rebels said she too qualified for the cash gift.