29 Telangana State workers held captive in Saudi Arabia

Hyderabad: NRI Affairs Minister K Taraka Rama Rao on Monday wrote a letter to Union Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj seeking her intervention to help rescue 29 migrant workers from the captivity of Al-Hajry Overseas Company at Al-Hassa, in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They all hail from Telangana State.

• KTR takes up the case and writes a letter to the Union Minister for External Affairs
• He requests the Centre to intervene immediately and help rescue the workers
  

KTR explained to the Union Minister that the migrant workers from Telangana State in Saudi Arabia were held in captivity for the last 12 days. They are being denied food and basic amenities. One Boragalla Shekhar of Kamareddy district had sent a message to the government that he along with 28 others from Telangana State working for Al-Hajry Overseas Company at Al-Hassa wanted leave to visit home town.

In response, the company management had not only demanded $50,000 from each to relieve them, but refused to provide travel expenses for them. "For redressal of their grievance, the workers had approached 'Labour Court' and subsequently 'Amir Court' for Justice. The Amir Court issued directions to the employer to bear all expenses and send the said 29 employees to their native places within three days.

However, the company management has taken all the 29 employees into their custody and is holding them captive in a room at Allsafaniya Kouqt, Bodar, city Kanji, Saudi Arabia, denying them food / water or medicines and other basic amenities for the last 12 days," KTR said in his letter.

KTR stressed the need for immediate intervention of the Government of India and said it should take up the issue with the host country Saudi Arabia to ensure that all the 29 employees are safely released by the employer company and repatriated to India, at the earliest.