A migrant labourer from Telangana is struggling to come back to India as he has been stranded in Dubai without a passport. Mulkala Sathyam (40), from Nakkalapeta of Dharmapuri in Telangana’s Jagtial district, had gone to Muscat in Oman four years ago through a private travel agent who had offered him a job as a construction worker in a private company.
In July 2016, the travel agent allegedly took him to Oman. However, a month after he reached, a contractor took Sathyam from Muscat to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by crossing the border illegally in August 2016. The employer didn't give his passport when he went to Dubai, according to his family.
His wife, Jyothi Mulakala, told TNM, “The travel agent has taken Rs 1,80,000, promising him a job, and later told us that nothing will happen and that the company will take care of him. Since then, he has been staying in Dubai as an irregular migrant, working as construction labour or as a house help. He has also been sending money home until the last five months, as with COVID-19, things have changed and he is not getting any work.”
She further added, "Two months ago, I sent him Rs 50,000 for managing his expenses, as he is living with other people in a room without work and salary and he is facing difficulties. As he does not have a passport with him, he is unable to come back. If the Consulate General of India gives an Out Pass or an emergency certificate, he can come back.”
His wife has requested the state government to coordinate with the authorities in UAE to repatriate Sathyam safely to India. Jyothi has submitted a representation to Jagtial district Collector to pursue the matter with the state government.
Meanwhile, migrant welfare associations are also demanding that the state government address Sathyam’s problem on an urgent basis.
Swadesh Parkipandla, the President of Pravasi Mithra Labour Union, said that there are hundreds of migrant labourers from Telangana and Andhra, just like Sathyam, who have crossed the border from Oman and are similarly suffering in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman in the UAE.
Swadesh said, "The UAE government has declared a short term amnesty in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, which will end on August 18, 2020. The amnesty includes all illegal residents and visitors who wish to exit the UAE, so the government should negotiate with all the Gulf nations and repatriate all irregular and regular migrants to India."