A group of Telugu speaking migrants from Telangana have urged the State government to take all measures to evacuate them from the battle ravaged Kirkuk town in Iraq.
In an email sent to the Telangana government through the Migrants Rights Welfare Front, these workers said they were all employed in a soft drink manufacturing company in Kirkuk. As the battle between the security forces and militants escalated, the company shut down the plant leaving the workers to fend for themselves.
“We are facing hardships due to lack of food, water and shelter and are holed up in the plant itself,” the victims wrote. They bemoaned that most of them had borrowed money and paid huge sums to agents to go to Iraq. “There was fierce battle in Kirkuk and the management closed the plant. Our families back home are a worried about our safety,” the victims said.
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Carrying a printout of the mail, Migrants Rights Welfare Front president K. Narasimha Naidu on Friday called on IT Minister K. Tarakarama Rao and urged him to help the victims. In a memorandum, he wanted the government to send a team of officials to rescue the Telugus stranded in Iraq.