Migrant workers, who had gone to Kuwait in search of work, but on illegal visas, have queued up at the embassy since Monday, to get clearance certificates to be able to come back home, soon after the government there offered amnesty to them.
The amnesty comes as a relief to thousands of workers, who were deceived by agents and middlemen, and subject to exploitation by Gulf employers. The unprecedented crowd has surprised authorities of the Kuwait and Indian Embassies, according to Gangula Muralidhar Reddy, representative of the Gulf Telangana Welfare and Cultural Association in Kuwait. Thousands of people had been migrating to Kuwait for work from the Telugu States for the last four decades. According to unofficial sources, over 50,000 people from Telugu States have been there. However, due to the agents, many of them were deprived of akama (work permit), bathaka (permission to live) and even passport.
The Kuwait government issued orders giving amnesty for a limited period between January 29 and February 22. Those who leave the country during the given period, need not pay the penalty, which is in lakhs , says Challa Amarnath Reddy of Kadapa, who is in Kuwait. He said that on the first day on Monday, a host of migrant workers, including a large chunk of women had approached the embassy. On reporting at the Kuwait Embassy, those who have no proper documents would be issued passes to leave the country, he added. On submission of the pass at the immigration office, they would be allowed to purchase flight ticket, an immigration stamp would be put on the document, provided they had no cases on them. This entire process would take at least one week.
The GTWCA president, Patkuri Basanth Reddy, told The Hindu that this was a great opportunity for the migrant workers to come back home without punishment. If the workers staying on fake documents failed to leave, they would be sent to jail. “For those who have no money to purchase tickets, the association is approaching the State and Central Governments to help them out. We will meet IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao for his support in a day or two,” he said.
