HC notice to Centre on plea on plight of workers abroad

The Delhi High Court today sought a response of the Centre on a plea alleging that the government is allowing placement agencies to send people abroad as "manpower" without examining the working conditions there.
Justice Rajiv Shakdher issued the notice to the ministries of External Affairs (MEA) and Labour and sought their replies on the petition which has also alleged that the government "never takes care of the labour working abroad and never verify if they have been given proper visa and other documents".
The plea, filed on behalf of one such person who had gone abroad through a placement agent, alleged that the workers are not paid their wages nor provided proper food or residential facilities and are made to work like "slaves".

The petition has sought action against three such agents who allegedly sent the petitioner, Amit Kumar Thakur, to Saudi Arabia and have kept him in illegal confinement without giving him proper food and water.
Amit, in his plea filed through advocate Sugriva Dubey, has alleged that during his six-month stay in Saudi Arabia he was not allowed to contact anyone nor was he paid any wages.
He has also alleged that he was able to return to India only after he was deported from the country that too after being jailed for 15 days for non-extension of his visa.

The petition alleged that this treatment is meted out to several others and added that due to the default in not renewing his visa, he would not be able to return to that country for another five years.

It has also been alleged that the three agents have not only not paid any wages as promised, they have also not returned the Rs one lakh taken from him for taking him abroad.
The court, while listing the matter for further hearing on May 18, has also asked the government on why the three agents be not blacklisted as sought by the petitioner.