Andhra Pradesh - Others   

Gulf dream turns sour

P. Ram Mohan

BIBIPET (NIZAMABAD DT.): Eleven persons from this village in Domakonda mandal have been languishing in a jail in Sharjah for the last 15 days as they landed in the Gulf without proper documents.

Shocked by the news, their wives and relatives have been running from pillar to post to get information about their condition. As they do not know whom to approach for assistance, they are grief-stricken.

Pouring out their woes before visiting mediapersons, Pocham Kalavathi, wife of Narasaiah, said their husbands had gone to Dubai through a Gulf agent each spending over Rs. 1 lakh. They sold off their property and borrowed at a very high rate of interest to raise the amount.

In deep trouble

The victims include Medara Swamy, 19, and Chatla Balanarusu, 50. The others are Chindam Bhumaiah, Chatla Srinivasu, Boyina Swami, Neela Sathaiah, Gandla Balaraju, Reddi Bhumaiah, Bariga Narayana, Potta Ramulu and Pocham Narasaiah. Suguna, wife of Reddi Bhumaiah laments: "My husband borrowed at Rs. 10 interest. We are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. If he comes back without money moneylenders will haunt us for repayment. If he doesn't come back we have no option but to commit suicide."

She and Kalavathi have three girl children each, while the rest of them have one to three children. They find it very difficult to make both ends meet. "We are forced to work as labourers. We starve whenever there is no work," bemoans Gandla Vijaya.

Driven by poverty and lack of work some 500 persons from this village lying on the border of Karimnagar-Nizamabad-Medak districts went to the Gulf. Some of them had gone a decade ago and some recently.

Taking advantage of illiteracy and poverty of the villagers Gulf agents are exploiting them luring with jobs. Those who approached the real agents have settled down in the Gulf without much difficulty, but those who fell prey to bogus agents ended up in jail.

Minister for Information Mohammad Ali Shabbir under whose Kamareddy constituency the village falls, says: "The Government is making efforts to eliminate bogus agents who are cheating people in the name of Gulf jobs. I will take up the Bibipet villagers' case and try to get them released.''

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