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Parents allege exploitation of their children in Saudi

BERHAMPUR: Four youths of Jholamala village under the Khalikote police station in Ganjam district are allegedly being exploited at the hands of a construction firm in Saudi Arabia after being conned by some dubious labour agents.

The parents of these youths have approached the State labour commissioner, administrative officials and local elected representatives to intervene so that the youths could return their native village.

The four youths, who are allegedly facing exploitation in the gulf, are Narayan Sur, Bichitra Sur, Harsa Dalai and Nilakantha Bhuyan.

As per the complaint of their parents sent to the State labour commissioner, a father and son duo of Tentulidhia village near Balugaon had come to the Jholamala village with the lure of arranging jobs in foreign countries. They had promised salary of Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 20,000 per month for the menial labourers along with free boarding, lodging and medical facilities. They had demanded Rs. 1,00,300 from each interested candidate towards passport, Visa and medical check-up. Parents of four youths of the village had paid up this hefty amount to the agents in the presence of witnesses from the village.

The four youths had left for Riyadh in Saudi Arabia in March. According to Narayan’s father Sibakar Sur, they were shocked when they heard the plight of their sons at their work place over phone.

These unskilled workers had to face much exploitation. They were kept in a cramped room without any electricity, bathroom or toilet. According to the parents, the youths were also being exploited at their work place. The youths were also not satisfied with the salary but they had no way to return India. They also did not know anything about the contract they had signed with their employer due to their ignorance. The parents of all the four exploited youths now realise that they had wrongly invested more than Rs. 1 lakh on sending their sons abroad to get exploited.

They urged the labour department to intervene and take up the matter through the ministry of external affairs, so that the youths could return home.

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