A group of nine men mill around restlessly in the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi office. Having recently returned to India from Saudi Arabia, they have suffered over the past year to get to where they are now.
Promises of a monthly pay of Rs 20,000, free food, lodging, uniforms, trip allowances and an international licence lured these men to Riyadh as drivers. All of them possessed heavy vehicle licences and were interviewed and underwent a driving test before being selected.
Venkatesan of Vriddhachalam, Cuddalore, paid Rs 80,000 to an agent,Selvam. He had told Venkatesan that the job would his if he paid the amount. “Selvam works for Mumbai-based Vijaya Travels. He is one of many agents in Tamil Nadu. They prey on hardworking people like us, who want to provide for our families and look for better job opportunities,” he says.
Hired to work for Abdullah Nasir Abdullah Al Dagheen, a company that hires out buses on contract for a school for the differently-abled, the men were paid only once in four months. They were not provided food or water, and the accommodation was woefully inadequate. An international licence was not given, which meant that they would always have to pay to get out of any situation even if it was not their fault. They washed dishes and toilets, just to be able to afford food.
Ansar Basha of Nellikuppam, Cuddalore, had worked in Kuwait previously and with his knowledge of Arabic, questioned the management. “They beat me up and a few others, and threatened to kill me. They had a gun to my head, but finally put three bullets in the ceiling as a warning,” he said. The owner claimed that he had provided the visas for free to Vijaya Travels, and they were the ones who fleeced the men. On contacting the travel agency, they met another dead end. “They would see a Saudi number calling and hence not answer. After a couple of tries, the phone would be switched off,” says Raja of Villupuram district.
The men then approached the Indian Embassy. Ganesh, also of Cuddalore, says, “We were treated as if we were of no consequence. They listened to us and then called our employers, who took us back to the quarters and beat us up soundly.” They then contacted the Amma Peravai in Riyadh. This group, along with Manithaneya Makkal Katchi and Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam (TMMK) branches in Saudi, helped them leave the country. The plane fare to Mumbai and bus fare to Chennai from there were taken up by them. Chelladurai of Ramanathapuram says, “We had to pay Rs 40,000 to get out of that place. Some of us paid nearly Rs 1.2 lakh for this job, but we sent back hardly Rs 12,500. How will we face our family, and more importantly, those who lent us money?” The men ask the Chief Minister to ensure the safety of Tamilians abroad, and to look into the way the Indian Embassy treats their own.
“We do not want anyone to go through what we experienced,” they say. Rajiv Gandhi of Karnatham, Cuddalore says, “Vijaya Travels has to be shut down so they cannot ruin more lives. We have nothing more to lose.”
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