Migrant Workers from Telangana Confined Indoors in Gulf

Workers from districts in north Telangana are employed in the UAE, Sharjah, Qatar, Bahrain and other Gulf nations. With operations suspended in several establishments, many are awaiting clarity on resumption of work and payment of wages.

Bhumaiah Kalleda of Jannaram in Mancherial district, who works in Bur Dubai in the UAE and serves as president of the Gulf Workers Sankshema Samiti, said groups of workers were staying indoors and taking precautionary measures. “We do not know when the situation will return to normal or when companies will resume work, and we are uncertain whether we will be paid wages for this crisis period,” he said.

Jangam Balakrishan of Indhalvai in Nizamabad district and Mengu Anil of Dangyapur village in Sarangapur mandal of Nirmal district are among those employed in different parts of the UAE. Workers from Telangana are said to be staying in groups and supporting one another during the current situation.

Some workers who had travelled to their native villages in Telangana for family functions are reportedly stranded due to flight disruptions. Sundaragiri Shankar Goud, 45, of Atmakur village in Metpally mandal of Jagtial district, said he had come from Qatar a month ago to attend a marriage and was informed at Hyderabad airport on February 28 that his return flight had been cancelled.

In another case, Ramawath Surya of Lingapur in Mamada mandal of Nirmal district said his son, Ramawath Prashanth, 31, who had been working as a driver in Dubai, had been missing since December 2023. He submitted a memorandum to district officials seeking assistance in tracing his son, expressing concern over his safety in the present circumstances.