People with new occupations in West Asia desperate to join work

Pune: The conflict in West Asia has left many Indians wanting to return to the safety of their own country from the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, etc, while, in contrast, there are several who are vying to go the war-torn region after having paid hefty amounts to secures jobs there.Yewalewadi resident Mohammad Moin Shaikh secured a waiter's job in Dubai through a Mumbai-based consultancy. He was to join work on March 8. "The consultancy said that with erratic flight movements and incidents of bombings, I will have to wait. My visa is valid for three months and has arrived. However, waiting has made me impatient. I paid a hefty sum for the job," Shaikh told TOI.Managing director of Kolkata-based Systemedge Consultancy Services Mohammad Babar Ali told TOI that flights were a problem. "Many are stuck since regular flights are not operating. The workers have appointment letters and visas, but the current situation is causing uncertainty. Countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia are functioning normally, but the same cannot be said about their neighbouring nations," he said.The representative of a consultancy service based in Mumbai said, "Job vacancies in the said countries come often, but there are many candidates. Clients don't like delays fearful of losing their position to someone else. Most are panicking since they have either taken loans or sold their property to arrange money for the job." On an average, the charges are between Rs70,000 to Rs1 lakh per candidate for a job in West Asia. Some Indian nationals back home for a break are also worried. "I came for my annual month-long leave and the same ended on March 8. I want to go back. I had booked my return, but then flights got cancelled. If I am not at work, it means no salar,said Nigdi resident Sirish Baate, who works in the UAE with a private firm.