1,000 from Karimnagar languish in Saudi camps

KARIMNAGAR: The families of people who have gone to Saudi Arabia for work are anxious over the plight of the migrants due to the crisis in the Islamic nation.
 Union external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj’s tweet that over 10,000 migrants were facing hunger in Saudi Arabia has created anxiety in the district.

Both Karimnagar and Nizamabad districts have a considerable number of international migrants. About 10 per cent of the total population of the district is believed to have relatives in Gulf countries like UAE, Muscat, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Qatar.

However, the migrants suffer untold hardships in foreign countries. A large number of them languish in jails in the Gulf for allegedly violating the rules of emigration and not possessing authentic documents. This is due to the fake visas issued by some agencies who extort huge amounts from gullible youths.

This time, the financial crisis in Saudi Arabia, caused by the decline in crude oil prices and the slump in the construction sector, have hit the impact livelihood of migrants, in particular the labour class. As a result, around 1,000 youths belonging to north Telangana are stranded abroad after their employers closed down operations.

“The migrants are unable to find shelter and food. They don’t have money to return to India. They are leading a harrowing life in the rehabilitation camps run by the Indian embassy. All they want is to return to India,” said K. Raji Reddy, a native of Koratla mandal and an engineer in Jeddah.