External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj positively responded to Telangana state IT and NRI affairs Minister K T Rama Rao's letter on the plight of the Telangana workers, in Saudi Arabia.

The Minister has directed the envoy to rescue 29 Indian workers, belonging to Telangana.

Minister KT Rama Rao, in the letter, said, “The company 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.”

The reported letter also mentions, “that the workers, employed by Al-Hajry Overseas Company, were held in captivity for the last 12 days, without any food/water or medicines and other basic amenities.”

Furthermore, the 29 employees sought leave to visit their hometowns, but the company demanded USD 50,000, by each one of them, to relieve them. It also refused to provide travel expenses, KT Rama Rao said in the letter.

Swaraj, tweeted to the Indian Ambassador of Saudi Arabia, to initiate action for the workers, release from the Saudi Company.

The tweet stated, “Javed - Plz help the Indian workers and send a report to me and Mr. K T Rama Rao,"

The Indian workers, also approached the Labor Court, and subsequently Amir Court, for justice. However, the Amir Court issued directions to the employer company to bear all expenses and send, the 29 employees to their native places within three days.

Mr. K T Rama Rao, said he was contacted by one of the workers, Boragalla Shekhar, a resident of Kamareddy district in Telangana, who informed him about the plight he and 28 others were suffering.

He also gave Swaraj with the telephone numbers of Shekhar, and requested the external affairs minister to take up the matter with the Saudi Arabia government.

The Telangana Minister, urged Sushma Swaraj to raise the issue with Saudi Arabia, to ensure that all the employees are safely released by the employer and repatriated to India at the earliest.

By Supraja