Open house flooded with grievances

The Indian Consulate held an open house which flooded with scores of complaints from Indian expatriate workers who were declared runaways (huroob) by their employers. Those workers said they were trapped and left stranded without any help and urged the consulate to address their problem with local authorities.
The consulate held its open house yesterday where about 80 Indian nationals attended and expressed grievances mainly related to their status.
However, consulate officials have expressed their inability to render immediate assistance and remedial solutions to their problem.
Nurse Gracy Verghese drew attention to her plight when she declared that she had been stranded during a process of sponsorship change from one medical facility to another. The consulate promised to take up her case with the local authorities.
Other citizens complained that they came to know about their "huroob" status while they were in the process of renewing their 'iqama' (residency permit) or undergoing a sponsorship transfer.
Consul General Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, who was present during the entire session, heard other grievances. Consuls S.R.H. Fahmi, Raj Kumar, P.K. Jain and Pranav Ganesh also attended the opening and received complaints.