Daijiworld Media Network – Kuwait (SB)
Kuwait, May 28: Indian community leaders here on Tuesday May 28 met Indian embassy officials in Kuwait and sought the embassy's immediate intervention with regard to the 35 youths from Mangaluru who are stranded in the country after they were allegedly cheated by a placement agency.
As reported earlier, 35 youths from Mangaluru were promised jobs in Kuwait by Manikya Associates run by Prasad Shetty, upon payment of Rs 65,000 by each person. However, upon reaching Kuwait, they realised that they the company they had been recruited for was totally different. For the past five-six months, they have been deprived salaries and proper food. In a video message, the youths had sought help of public and politicians back home.
On the request of Mangaluru South MLA Vedavyas Kamath who had promptly responded to the youths' appeal, the office-bearers and members of Indian Engineers Association, Kuwait reviewed the procedure of sending back the 35 youths home.
Speaking to Daijiworld, Mohandas Kamath, a well-known Indian community leader in Kuwait said, "We met Sibi U S, the second secretary of Indian Embassy today and enquired about the 35 youths who were cheated by a recruiting agency. He confirmed that the embassy has received a mail from Sushma Swaraj, minister of external affairs of India. Responding to our query, Indian ambassador K Jeevan Sagar and Sibi met the general manager of Public Authority of Manpower (PAM).
"Hearing the issue regarding 35 Mangalureans out 74 Indians, the GM of PAM immediately blocked the file of the employment company and summoned the management of the carriage company (to which they had been recuited) issuing a day-long deadline.
"Further, the authority will ask the company to pay the pending salaries of the youths and return tickets as well. If they fail to pay and arrange the tickets, government of India will take initiative to bring the youths back to India through the Indian embassy. Eid is near and government offices will remain closed here for a week. So there will be a little delay in the procedure," he said.
Engineers India’s former chairman Inbatamizh Ilangovan, Joseph Panicker, B Sekhar and Manjeshewar Mohandas Kamath were in the delegation.