Hyderabad: Gruelling wait for body of man from Saudi Arabia
Gruelling wait for body of man from Saudi
Koti (Hyderabad): Family members of a migrant labourer from Telangana have been waiting for the past 99 days to see the mortal remains of their loved one who died in an accident in Saudi Arabia.
Vontari Narsareddy, a resident of Sirnapally village in Indulwai Mandal of Nizamabad district, died in an accident at workplace on November 1 last year in Saudi Arabia. Since then his family members are trying to reach out to the State and Central government officials seeking return of his mortal remains.
Even after submitting several representations to the government, left with no option Narsareddy's wife Laxmi filed a petition in the High Court of Telangana recently. "We were told Vontari died in an accident, he was the only bread earner for the family of seven members," says Laxmi.
After a long wait for the body, the family members finally approached Pravasi Mithra Labour Union and Deekonda Kiran. The migrant labour leaders reached Hyderabad on February 3 along with the family members of the deceased.
They met P Shashi Kiran, a human rights activist and advocate of the High Court. They also submitted a petition to an official of Ministry of External Affairs, Mukesh Koushik, who is the protector of emigrants at Hyderabad.
Swadesh Parkipandla, president of Pravasi Mithra Labour Union, appointed an advocate seeking immediate repatriation of the mortal remains in a coffin from Saudi Arabia to India.
Swadesh said a bench of justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili will hear the case on Wednesday. It will be the 100th day of Vontari death.
On November 5, 2020, the family members of the deceased sent petitions to The Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi, the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and the NRI Cell of the Telangana government requesting to repatriate the mortal remains.
They also requested MLA, MLC, MPs and The Ministers of State and Central governments but the human remains have not been received even after three months of death, said Swadesh.
Though several letters were sent to the Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India and the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia but wife of deceased, Laxmi is still waiting for husband's mortal remains. She demanded the government to take steps to send the body from Saudi to India immediately.