Hyderabad: Five of the many stranded Indian workers at Oman reached Hyderabad on Wednesday morning. So far, around 50 migrant workers from different parts of the country have returned home. The Indian embassy in Oman provided them with flight tickets, but the workers had to return without a penny in their pockets. More than 900 Indian migrants including around 200 from both the Telugu states are stranded in Oman after their employer Petron Gulf LLC Company, an engineering company, stopped paying them their salaries four months back.
Gulf Workers Association president Nangi Devender Reddy who was pursuing their cause with the Indian embassy in Oman has asked the state governments of AP and Telangana state to rehabilitate the returned migrants in the existing government welfare schemes. Meanwhile, G. Nagesh, the convener of the Gulf Social Club Telangana Wing helped the migrants with money to reach their homes from Hyderabad airport.
Jadala Babaiah (48) from Vikarabad district who went to Oman to work as a mason seven years ago, said that they were left to starve. “For more than a month, we were only fed with cooked rice mixed with turmeric powder and jeera powder. Some of us even developed stomach complications eating this. We had doubts about seeing our families ever again. Thankfully the embassy and other activists came to our rescue and arranged our safe return,” he said.
Ms Ramanamma, wife of Moturi Ganesh from Vizag who went to work as a fitter, said that the family spent sleepless days and nights when they got to know that the company had stopped paying salaries and they were stranded. “It was really tough to support the family all alone. But my in-laws helped me out and we managed. I have got the information that my husband has landed in Hyderabad, and I am eagerly waiting to see him. It is just a miracle that he is here and we will soon be together,” she said. Votarkar Bhumesh from Nizamabad and Gujju Laxmana Murthy and Chintha Thulasi Rao, both from AP also landed in Hyderabad on Wednesday. According to them, dues up to '5 lakh to each employee, was still pending with company.
