Indian workers face ‘food crisis’ in Jeddah: MEA reaches out; works to ensure lodging of complaint, repatriation

According to government sources, 2,450 Indian workers have been housed in five housing camps in Jeddah, Mecca and Taif, and the Ministry of External Affairs has instructed the Consulate there to provide them with food assistance.

August 1: Indian government has responded to the grievances expressed by almost 3,000 Indians who are facing a starvation-like crisis in Saudi Arabia. This comes after reports of a large number of Indian workers who were stranded in housing camps in Jeddah, after a large Saudi Arabian construction company, did not pay them their salaries for over seven months. Minister of State for External Affairs has reportedly contacted Saudi authorities ensure claims of Indian workers with unpaid dues are lodged and processed, said government sources. Akbar has also sought assistance in arranging exit visa for those workers who wish to be repatriated.

The Saudi Oger company has not been paying the workers their dues, making it hard for them to sustain themselves and their families. According to government sources, 2,450 Indian workers have been housed in five housing camps in Jeddah, Mecca and Taif, and the Ministry of External Affairs has instructed the Consulate there to provide them with food assistance. The consulate in Jeddah, through Indian community’s assistance hs been providing rations fr 2450 Indians,enough fr next eight to 10 days. ALSO READ: 10,000 Indian workers facing food crisis in Saudi Arabia: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj

The company employs 50,000 people, out of which four thousand are Indians. According to an Indian community worker involved in the food distribution work, the non-payment of salaries is due to the economic slowdown which has hit the middle east, because of the slump in oil prices. Indian Consul General in Jeddah Mohammed Noor Rahman Sheikh told IANS, “For the last seven months these Indian workers (of Saudi Oger) were not getting their salaries.” He added: “We have provided 15,475 kg of foodstuff besides cooking ingredients and 1,850 readymade food packets to these workers.”