DAMMAM, 4 July 2004 — Authorities have waived the exit visa fee for the stranded Indian workers of Comet Contracting in Jubail, but they still have no air tickets to go home.
Last month, the Indian ambassador took up the matter with Eastern Province Governor Prince Muhammad ibn Fahd who waived the visa fee and gave instructions to renew the workers’ expired iqama. The company had tried to charge each worker SR1,800 for the purpose.
Arab News has reported that a member of the company’s administrative staff disappeared with the workers’ passports, making them virtual prisoners of the company. Without valid iqama and passports, their salaries unpaid for more than eight months, the 130 skilled and semi-skilled workers were in some cases starving and reduced to begging. They sued their employer for back pay and won, but the verdict was never implemented.
On April 12, the company’s general manager signed an undertaking with V.V. Narayanan, the first secretary of the Indian Embassy, agreeing to give the workers free air tickets as provided in their contract. Comet also undertook to send the workers home in groups of 20 within 30 days. The promise was broken.
Later, the company asked the staff to pay SR1,800 for the renewal of their iqama and their exit visa.
An official of the Indian Embassy’s welfare section said the mission was waiting for official confirmation of the fee waiver and would then take steps to send the workers home.
Meanwhile, relatives in Karnataka are still waiting for the body of Srinivas Ravikumar, one of the 130, who died two weeks ago in camp accommodation.
