Injured and in deep debt, worker longs to go home

Sharjah: Lalu Ajumera, 35, sold his land in India so that he would have enough money to come to Sharjah and realise his dream of providing a better life for his family.

But his hopes were dashed early this month when he slipped and fell into a manhole on the construction site where he was working. His right leg was badly injured and he was taken to Al Kuwaiti Hospital.

Doctors at the hospital told Ajumera that there was no circulation to his leg and it would have to be amputated.

They say the injured man pleaded with them to spare his leg, but they had no choice.

"Ajumera told us that his life would be ruined if he lost his leg. He said he would not be able to support his poor family if he was handicapped," the doctors said.

Eventually, the injured man agreed that the operation would have to be performed.

His leg was duly amputated above the knee, making it difficult for an artificial limb to be fitted.

"The danger was that the infection would spread to the upper part of his leg," the doctors said. All Ajumera wants to do now is go home, although he knows there will be no peace for him there either: he says his debtors are waiting for him.

From his bed, Ajumera smiles up at his visitors - until he catches sight of the stump where his right leg used to be and breaks into tears. His story is a tragic one.

"I bought a visa to come to the UAE from an agent in India - it cost me Dh10,000. I thought that was the accepted way of travelling to this country. When I arrived at the airport in Sharjah in June 2007 an agent took my passport and disappeared. Since then I have been trying to survive," he explains.

Ajumera said he had tried his best to earn enough money to be able to send funds to his wife and daughter in India.

"I have worked in several different places. I was abandoned at the airport, have no passport and my visitor's visa expired a long time ago," he said.

After he was injured, Ajumera's employer also abandoned him. He needs care, rehabilitation and repatriation. Although he will no longer be able to lead a normal life, he will be expected to support his aged parents, his wife and his eight-year-old daughter.

"Who will look after my helpless, unfortunate family?" he asks.