KENDRAPARA: Tales of human misery being faced by hundreds of immigrant workers in Angola have come to light as two immigrants from Kendrapara safely returned on Sunday. They recounted the ordeal.With many of these skilled immigrants still holed up in a labour unrest-hit cement plant, the family members are in a state of anxiety.“Two of them have safely returned. But many more are still waiting for their ‘home-coming’ turn. We are trying our best to help those stranded in Angola,” said Pradipta Mohanty, District Labour Officer (DLO).“I am alive due to blessings of God and parents. I had lost hope that I would land in my motherland,” narrated 28-year-old Abhiram Samal from Rajnagar’s Gobindapur village.The traumatic experience began earlier this month. The cement plant thrived on Indian workforce. Of the 1,800 workers, over 1,000 are of Indian origin. Indian workers were ill-treated and underpaid, triggering labour unrest. It was on April 9 that Indian workers had gathered at the plant’s administrative office and peacefully picketed for timely payment of wages and overtime dues in dollar, Samal recounted.“I was there at the protest meeting. All of a sudden, the employers let loose armed police on the peaceful workers. There was a rain of bullets. All of us ran for our lives. After virtually sprinting for nearly 6 km, we found ourselves in a dense forest. For two days, we wandered around the forest and lived on wild fruits, roots and shrubs. We drank water from a stream passing through the mountainous forest,” Samal said.He added that after returning from the jungle, many were arrested by Angolan police and dumped in jail. Passports and visas were impounded. “But I was lucky in the sense that I was spared from the tyrannical measures,” Samal said.As per rough estimate, at least 14 migrant workers from Kendrapara are still in Sumbe, about 600 km from Luanda, capital of Angola. Only two immigrants from the district have safely returned following Centre’s intervention. Nearly 120 Odia workers are understood to have got employed in the Sumbe cement plant, the DLO said.Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had on Saturday sought the Centre’s immediate intervention into the alleged harassment of Odia workers in Angola and External Affairs Minister S M Krishna assured to take steps to ensure their safe return.
Comments
0 comment