More than 30 Indians have been killed in the massive fire in Kuwait Indian labor camp EDITOR'S VIEW: Country proving to be a silent killer: Conditions of Indians living in 'labourers' nests' worsen; Know how those who go to earn in Kuwait are burned in the fire of torture

The fires of torture in Kuwait are unstoppable; Kuwait has proven to be a silent killer for Indian labourers

.

A fierce fire broke out in a residential building in Mangaf, a remote area in Kuwait, a country located between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. In it, 49 people including 40 Indian laborers died. Fires, firings, heaps of employees suspended. The Kuwaiti government blamed the fire on the Indian Tamil businessman, but the question is, why do thousands of Indian laborers end up dying in torture in Kuwait every year?

Hello,

In this country with a population of 42 lakh, 10 lakh are Indians. Most of them are labourers. Thousands of laborers arrive illegally in Kuwait every year. Suffers torment and wants to leave, but cannot leave. Kuwait was a hell for Indian laborers. The agents here extorted lakhs of rupees and pushed the laborers to Kuwait illegally. Just as one incident of fire opened the political polls of Rajkot, many polls are going to be opened by the incident of fire in Kuwait. The Prime Minister has held a review meeting and now action will also be taken against illegal encroachment. Many lies were burnt in this fire of Kuwait, but many scary facts are coming out in the smoke of the fire, which should open the eyes of the Indian laborers.

The building caught fire and caught the attention of the whole world
Mangaf area in Kuwait has many buildings of 6-6 storeys and more. The fire broke out early Wednesday around 4:30 am Kuwait time. A fire broke out in the kitchen on the ground floor of a 6-storey building and spread to the entire building. A number of people were trapped in the building. Most of the deaths were due to smoke suffocation. The incident of fire in the building attracted the attention of the whole world, as the building housed laborers from many countries including India, among whom the dead were laborers from India, Pakistan, Philippines, Egypt and Nepal. Maximum 40 laborers are from India, 50 laborers are injured.

The building is owned by a Malayali businessman
According to Kuwaiti media, the building was leased by construction company NBTC Group. One building housed 195 labourers, most of them from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. NBTC Group is owned by Malayali businessman KG Abraham. KG Abraham is a businessman from Thiruvalla, Kerala. KG Abraham himself is also known as KGA. His group name is also KGA. The company has been part of Kuwait’s oil industries since 1977.

Close to the building is the desolate desert of Kuwait
Mangaf area of ​​Kuwait is on fire which is the outermost area of ​​Kuwait. Many buildings here are rented out for residential purposes. Most of the Indian laborers live here. This area is a desolate desert region of Kuwait and is home to oil refineries. Here, those who come from other countries for employment get a place to stay for less money. There are many such areas in Kuwait and even the government there knows this.

In the labor camp, the legal laborers live
A labor camp is a collective settlement for the accommodation of labourers. Generally, this arrangement is provided by local companies and employment agencies. Companies keep their bulk workers in one place and take them to and from work sites in the same bus. Companies rent entire houses for their convenience, not a single flat or floor. That too in areas which are isolated and relatively cheap. The level of public service facilities in such places is also low and poor. In such areas the streets of the streets are used as ‘labourers’ quarters’. Laborers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia and Sri Lanka live in such labor camps for five to fifteen to thirty years. There are not thousands, but millions of such labourers, who come to the Gulf countries, sacrifice bread for the family and earn degrees for the children. It does what it takes to stay here as cheaply as possible. For that, they put themselves in such labor camps provided by the company or found by themselves. One such labor camp in Kuwait caught fire. In this, laborers who have been slapped with being illegal residents have been affected. Now there is no one to ask questions on their behalf, but there are questions that will never burn even in such a fire. What are Kuwait’s legal norms for such labor camps? Whose responsibility is it to enforce and enforce labor camp laws? It is usually easy to determine the number of occupants in a house from water and electricity bills. In such cases, the labor camp should be monitored. Whose responsibility is it to take action and control such malpractices?

The Kuwaiti government suspended scores of engineers and employees
As the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, ordered officials to investigate the incident and take strict action against those responsible, Kuwait’s piled-up civil engineers, local government employees there were immediately suspended. Kuwaiti Interior Minister Sheikh Fahd Al-Yusuf Al-Sabah ordered the arrest of the owner of the building and also said that it was all illegal. Indian businessmen hire illegal laborers to do the work. Kuwait’s interior minister has blamed the fire incident on an Indian businessman.

Some people have been cremated who will be identified through DNA tests: Keertivardhan Singh
After the fire incident in Kuwait, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a review meeting and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar was in constant touch with the Kuwaiti government. On the instructions of the Prime Minister, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirtivardhan Singh has left for Kuwait on Thursday morning and will process how to bring back the dead bodies of the Indian laborers from there. Speaking to the media at Delhi Airport before leaving for Kuwait, Kirtivardhan Singh said, “According to the latest figures I have, 48 to 49 people have died and 42 or 43 of them are believed to be Indians. Most of the people have been burnt and DNA tests are underway to identify them. The situation will be clear after we reach there.

The sheikhs of Kuwait are no less tender
It is being alleged that government officials in Kuwait do not do any work without taking money. In Kuwait, there is a rule that foreign nationals in Kuwait do not have the right to do business without a local partner. Locals also get more profit sharing. So, both Kuwaitis and Malayalis are equally partners in this tragedy, but now Malayali businessmen are being targeted. The ministers of Kuwait have abdicated their responsibilities, so if you look at it, the sheikhs of Kuwait are no less tender.

The shop of illegal agents is a headache for embassies
Thousands of unemployed Indians enter Kuwait through illegal agents. Fearing not to be caught, he endures everything. They have no option but to suffer. The illegal agent shop running in India is a headache for the Indian Embassy. The network of these agents stretches from India to Kuwait, including Kuwaitis, whom it is the job of the Kuwaiti government to track down and control, but it is not being done properly.

The impression of the people of Kuwait is that they are lazy and workaholics and that is why laborers coming from abroad find work easily. Thousands of laborers from countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal who came here for employment settle here illegally instead of going back. The local markets here work for cash and roam around in hiding. As they are not legal, they can never go to the hospital and get treatment. Exploitation, atrocities and injustices still remain in Kuwait.

Kuwait is hell for laborers…
The standard of living of India’s legally resident laborers is also very miserable here. Here, which is called a camp or laborers’ living colony, 16 to 18 people live together on 3-story bunk beds in one room. 18 people share one kitchen and one bathroom. In such a case, there is no provision of any norms and their strict compliance regarding the basic needs of the laborers such as accommodation, food and transportation. Kuwait has many such buildings near the port, where there are no security facilities. They are neither paid on time nor any other arrangement is made. They are also mistreated and the companies that hire these laborers at low wages often confiscate their passports, so they cannot escape.

Indian labor is the biggest contribution to Kuwait’s economy!
21 percent of the total population of Kuwait is Indian laborers, that is, 10 lakh Indians live in Kuwait, but 9 lakh of them are laborers, the remaining 1 lakh are engineers, doctors, chartered accountants, software experts and technicians. Surprisingly, the economy of Kuwait is currently thriving, with Indian labor playing a major role. Kuwait’s economy is petroleum-based. According to the World Bank report, Kuwait is the fifth richest country in the world in terms of per head income. Kuwait has the largest oil reserves in the world, from which petrol-diesel is made. Kuwait has the capacity to extract 94 billion barrels of oil from an area of ​​only 15 km. Currently, Kuwait produces three and a half million barrels per day and by 2035, Kuwait aims to become a global hub for petrochemicals.

India is one of Kuwait’s top trading partners
Indo-Kuwaiti relations have always been strong. India has consistently been one of Kuwait’s top trading partners. India’s bilateral trade with Kuwait during 2023-24 was $10.47 billion (roughly Rs. 9 thousand crores). Five major commodities are exported from India to Kuwait, including aircraft parts, grains, organic chemicals, vehicles and electric machinery. Kuwait was the 9th largest oil supplier with about 3.0% of India’s energy needs during 2023-24. Indian companies TCIL, New India Assurance, LIC, Oriental Insurances have offices in Kuwait. Indian PSUs ie TCIL, New India Assurance, LIC, Oriental Insurance have offices in Kuwait, in association with local sponsors as per prevailing regulations. Indian private sector companies, such as Air India, Shapoorji Pallonji, Kalpataru Power Transmission Limited, TERI, Wipro, Tata, Ashok Leyland are also operating in Kuwait.

Finally,

Kuwait is a desert region, where it never rains, yet Kuwait means – a palace standing on the water’s edge. It is a smaller country than Rajasthan and a dry country like Gujarat.

Tune in Monday to Friday at 8pm Editor’s View…

(Research: Yashpal Bakshi)

(Input : East Gajjar, Kuwait)

https://aiearth.us/more-than-30-indians-have-been-killed-in-the-massive-fire-in-kuwait-indian-labor-camp-editors-view-country-proving-to-be-a-silent-killer-conditions-of-indians-living-in-labourers-nests-worsen/