Hundreds of Indians are being forced to spend weeks and months in the hell-like conditions of deportation centres in Saudi Arabia after being caught by the police for lack of proper papers and sponsors in the context of Nitaqat, the programme for Saudization of the employment sector of that country, thanks to the alleged refusal by Indian Embassy officials to intervene in time.
This is happening when the Congress-led Government in Kerala is claiming through its second anniversary ad campaign that measures for ensuring safety and welfare of Nitaqat-hit Keralites in Saudi Arabia have already been taken and as External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid is visiting that country to discuss issues including Nitaqat with the Saudi Government.
Reports from Saudi cities and Keralites, who have already returned to the State because of Nitaqat, say that officials from the Indian Embassy simply fail to reach the deportation centres and to provide help to Indians put there by the police while officials from missions of other countries are quick to act for saving their citizens from the inhuman conditions in such facilities.
“They simply fail to turn up for several weeks and months,” says Moideenkutty of Manjeri, Malappuram who returned from Riyadh after being caught by the labour Department officials. “When they come, their first question is not about our difficulties but on how much we could pay for arranging exit papers,” said Moideenkutty, who spent two months at a deportation centre.
According to returnees from Saudi Arabia, the Indian Embassy officials who reach the deportation centres could ask for anything between 300 riyals and 3,000 riyals for helping those stranded there. “They are considering the plight of the expatriates as harvest opportunity. I don’t think this is happening without the knowledge of senior embassy officials,” said a returnee.
Sreeraj (name changed) from Thrissur, who spent 42 days in a deportation centre before earning the exit card by paying 2,700 riyals to an Indian Embassy official, said, It was not the Saudis who were causing trouble to Indians but Indians themselves. “As far as Nitaqat is concerned, we can’t do anything as it is their rule. But how can Indians punish Indians like thisIJ” he asked.
Moideenkutty said the deportation centres were always overcrowded with over 600 men packed into a space hardly sufficient for 200. “There is not enough space for all to lie down even on the floor. You can guess how meager other facilities would be. The greedy officials know that people would pay bribe to them somehow to escape that hell,” he said.
According to Anzar of Mannarkkadu, Palakkad who returned from Saudi after being caught by the labour officials, deportation centres are not the only places where extortion takes place but Indians are fleecing Indians in several ways cashing in on the panic the Nitaqat had created. “There are even Malayalee agents who help you get caught by taking money,” he said.
“After the Saudi king ordered the three-month suspension of raids, expatriates without proper papers and sponsors are gathering at particular places to get caught because they have to get out before the end of the suspension period. There are Malayalee agents who would help them get caught by taking money,” said Anzar.
The strange thing about the illegal acts by the Indian Embassy officials and other Indian “agents” is that victims have not so far bothered to lodge complaints. “You cannot do that in Saudi Arabia for obvious reasons. People like me do not want to do it mainly because we don’t want to go after things which we are now trying to forget,” says Sreeraj.
Saudi Arabia began to implement Nitaqat by March end after time given for companies to ensure that Saudi nationals filled at least 10 per cent of their job rolls.