Efforts on to curb swindling of workers

Dubai: The problem of unscrupulous agents swindling people of money and travel documents can be a thing of the past in a couple of years.

Brigadier Mohammad Al Merri, Director General of the Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD), while speaking to Gulf News yesterday at the temporary DNRD centre at the Our Own English High School in Dubai for Indian amnesty seekers, yesterday said that a majority of the amnesty seekers are victims of unscrupulous agents operating in India.

He said: "We are working with the Indian consulate to curb the operations of unscrupulous agents. Give me two years. I have interacted with the amnesty seekers and each one has a story to tell as to how he was duped by agents in India. The problem starts over there. I feel sympathetic towards these victims."

The DNRD's temporary centre the school, which is located at the Oud Metha Road next to the Iranian Club, can accommodate over a 1,000 labourers each day and operates from 7.30am to 4pm every day until August 25.

Despite being a holiday yesterday, DNRD staff was on duty assisting amnesty seekers to get their iris scans and other related formalities completed. There were an estimated 1,300 amnesty seekers present at the centre.

Facilities

"We usually get around 1,700 amnesty seekers on weekdays. I have a dedicated staff who had got the services to the people, instead of them having to come to us. Arrangements have also been made for the amnesty seekers to sit inside an air-conditioned auditorium instead of having to stand outside in serpentine queues in hot summer months," said Al Merri.

An amnesty seeker who approached the DNRD centre at the school said: "Most of our problems starts before we come over here for a job.

"To pay the agents to get a visit visa we either mortgage our ancestral land and house or we end up taking large loans. Once we land here, we stay back even after our visa expires and try to earn enough money to pay off the debts incurred and save some money if possible and in the bargain we end up being illegal residents."

The Indian consulate in a press release said that as of July 26, it has printed over 20,200 Emergency Certificates (ECs) and has received more than 30,000 applications.

Out of the 40,000 passports of Indians received from the immigration authorities, around 14,600 passports have been distributed to the holders.

with an agreement of absconding, and they take a good amount of money from the people. Agents are making good money out of it. These Agents are also sometimes on visit visas. Now Agents are waiting on amnesty to finish and start their business again. This has to be stopped if the UAE wants to reduce the number of illegal workers.
Moosa
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: July 29, 2007, 08:20