Odisha Migrant Workers Seek Rescue from Dubai

Bhubaneswar: A number of migrant workers from Odisha's Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack and Kendrapara districts, stranded in Dubai city of United Arab Emirate (UAE) for a few days now, have sent shocking video footages to their relatives in complaining about the mental and physical harassment by their employers and urged them to plead with the state government for their immediate rescue.

The workers in the video clips said their employers have not paid them their salaries for months and damaged and destroyed their passports as a result of which they were unable to return. They have also narrated that they were going without food for a few days now.

The workers alleged that they were subjected to work under extreme conditions for long hours without food.

The workers appealed to Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi and BJP national vice president and Kendrapara Lok Sabha member Baijayant Panda to rescue them immediately from Dubai.

According to sources, the workers from Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur and Cuttack were taken to Dubai to work as plumbers a month ago. A private agent from Bhubaneswar took them to Dubai on the “false promise” of better pay.

Upon reaching Dubai, the workers discovered that they had been deceived by the labour agent. They are not even able to return home as their passports have been damaged or destroyed by the employers as they protested their “inhuman treatment.”

In the video clips, the workers are seen appealing in folded hands to chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Kendrapara MP Baijayant Panda for help.

“We request our Chief Minister that we have been held captive in Dubai. They are forcing us to work in extreme conditions and threatening to throw us out of work if we don’t work. We are not given our passports. We are in deep trouble, so we request our CM to save us.”

“We have not even eaten for five days. Baijayant Panda is our MP, so we also request him with folded hands to immediately rescue us and save our lives,” they added.