Pradhan asks MEA to help repatriate stranded Odia men

Bhubaneswar, June 6 (IANS) Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday sought the intervention of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar for the release of 10 Odia workers stranded in Dubai.The victims had released a video on social media seeking help from the Centre."Ten people who were working in the company Asia Pacific Building Contracting LLC, Dubai and accommodated at Saila, Sharjah are kept captive. They released a video about a month back asking for help for the immediate repatriation and their mobile numbers are now deactivated," Pradhan said in a letter.He said that it has been ascertained that these men belong to Nayagarh and Ganjam districts of Odisha.Pradhan apprised Jaishankar about the situation and sought the Ministry of External Affairs' support for the immediate repatriation of the victims to India on humanitarian grounds.
--IANS cd/pg/bg