Mr Al Haqbani said that the issue was confined to “just one company” that has accepted it has made a mistake.
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The Saudi King has instructed his officials to resolve the crisis faced by Indians, the minister said in identical suo moto statements on the Saudi situation in both houses of parliament.
Haqabani expressed the deep Saudi appreciation for Indian labor in the Kingdom. Over the weekend, India’s consulate in Jiddah said its staff helped deliver more than 15,000 kilograms (34,000 pounds) of food to workers in need of assistance in camps throughout Saudi Arabia.
This story was first published on CNN.com, “Saudi Arabia offers free food, flights to abandoned Indian workers”.
Singh, said he had a “very good meeting” with Saudi Labour Minister Mufarrej al-Haqbani during which they discussed the plight of the workers.
Meanwhile, the official Saudi Press Agency reported that the Saudi government has issued orders to let Indian workers find other employers and to allow them to get new visas.
Singh said on Twitter that the Saudi government had taken “immediate action to ensure that all camps where Indian workers were staying are provided facilities like medical, food, hygiene and sanitation”.
Saudi Oger, the once-mighty construction giant led by Lebanon’s billionaire former prime minister Saad Hariri, is among the affected companies.
Saudi Arabia, like other oil-rich Gulf countries, depends heavily on Asian migrant workers, mainly from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. In addition to that, their work permits have also not been renewed by companies which employed them.
“While it is true that some of the workers wish to return, they are not willing to leave without their lifelong savings as many of them have worked here for dozens of years”, the official said, while also pointing out that despite promises, the Saudi Arabian government had not issued a single exit visa till Thursday.
An estimated 7,700 Indian workers in Saudi Arabia and neighboring Kuwait have lost their jobs and are now stuck in camps for migrant workers.
“Yesterday (on Tuesday), we contracted all the providers to provide health, catering, maintenance and everything, and we contracted the airlines to send back anybody who wants to go there upon the approval of the Embassy of India”, Haqbani said, according to a text of the remarks provided by his ministry. Necessary action is in hand by the embassy of India to prepare suitable lists for filing claims as well as for people to go back.
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Abdallah al-Olayan was quoted as acknowledging that workers had suffered “hardships” after a contractor with the parent company cut off power supplies to them.
