Indian minister steps in to help Dubai expat in response to a tweet for help
Dubai expat wanted to return home since he hadn't received his salary for over six months
Dubai: Thanks to social media, the desperate plea for help of an Indian expat living in Dubai is now being resolved by Indian authorities and the consulate in the emirate.
Rajesh P, who worked as a sales executive for a supermarket in Jumeirah, told Gulf News on Friday that he was living in a miserable state. Having not received his salary months on end, Rajesh was forced to live off help from Indian friends in Dubai.
In an attempt to resolve his plight, Rajesh replied to a tweet by Vellamvelly Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs, asking for help. On a separate tweet sent by the minister in relation to repatriation of mortal remains of an expatriate from Saudi, Rajesh wrote, "Sr iam dubai my company close. 6mounts no salary for Mount's no electricity in room. I want to go India please help me 0526292060."
V. Muraleedharan, who is also a Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and a Member of Parliament (MP) in the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of the Indian Parliament, started his service as Minister of State for External Affairs. He is also the only member from Kerala in the new Modi cabinet, formed after the election results were announced in late May.
On his Twitter page, Rajesh has also tweeted about the situation earlier in June. On June 9, he tagged the BJP president for the Kerala chapter of the Indian party on a tweet asking for assistance. He also posted a few tweets detailing his situation.
On June 24 all of it bore fruit when V. Muraleedharan responded.
"I just want to go home"
In a telephone interview with Gulf News, Rajesh said a total of seven other Indians with him were also in a similar situation, three of whom hail from Kerala. He said that he has been living off the generosity of fellow Indians who provided him and his colleagues with food for the past six months.
The company in question had kept their passports and once the company ownership changed hands, no dues were paid and the passports were not released.
Three months ago Rajesh filed a complaint with the Ministry of Labour (MOL) about his dues and a judgment was passed for a compensation of Dh14,000. However, he is still waiting for the company to settle his dues.
“Of the seven Indians two have cancelled their visas , at their own cost, and will be leaving the country. Others are living with friends in the hope they will get their dues from the employer someday. I don’t want my money. I just want to go home. I have suffered enough”, Rajesh told Gulf News.
"The electricity in the company accommodation was shut down and we have been staying without electricity for months now," he added.
The response
Noticing Rajesh's message on the thread, the minister tagged his request in a tweet directing the consulate and the embassy to reach out and provide necessary assistance.
Praveen Kumar, core member for the medical committee set up by the Consulate General of India, confirmed that the Indian consulate in Dubai was looking into the matter.
“No sooner had the Minister got in touch with the Indian mission that we arranged a meeting with Rajesh. He has expressed he wants to return home and we are making arrangements to do the needful. His ticket is under process and he is likely to travel home in a couple of days”, Praveen told Gulf News.
- with inputs from Dona Cherian, Web News Editor