Help pours in to help 197 workers stranded in Kuwait

MANGALURU: Generous help has poured in from all quarters to repatriate 197 workers from Bidar district, who are stranded in Kuwait.
The workers expressed their desire to return to India after Kuwait witnessed a surge in Covid-19 cases, but got stranded for more than four months due to non-availability of flights.
Eshwara Khandre, working president, KPCC, former deputy chairperson, NRI Forum of Karnataka, Dr Arathi Krishna, Mohandas M Kamath, an expatriate working in Kuwait, Indian Embassy in Kuwait and Al Rashid Group Kuwait, have been making efforts to repatriate them.
All these stranded workers were employed by Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited (MEIL), Hyderabad, who are subcontractors of Essar Projects Ltd, for the Al-Zour Refinery Project in Kuwait.
Umesh Reddy, a resident of Basavakalyana taluk, who landed in Kuwait 10 months ago, told TOI over phone that their construction site has more than 14,000 labourers, and there was a fear that Covid-19 could spread at the site. As a result, 191 labourers unanimously decided to return to India. “We had expressed our desire to return back to our home country in February, but every time our tickets were cancelled due to unknown reasons. As a result, we are stuck without pay and work for over four months, and wish to be repatriated as soon as possible,” he said.
Arathi Krishna said that after all the efforts of the expatriates failed to return home, they approached Ishwar Khandre, who hails from Bidar, who in turn asked for her help. Mohandas Kamath met the stranded expatriates to know about the ground reality. “We have spoken to the stranded employees and assured them of arranging a chartered flight at the earliest. Their employer is expected to provide tickets, and the rest of the amount will be sponsored by Khandre, other expatriates working in Kuwait and myself,” said Arathi Krishna. Currently, the company is providing food and accommodation.
She added that they have spoken to a private travel agency, Al Rashid Group Kuwait, to arrange a chartered flight.