By IANS,
Manama: The Indian embassy in Qatar has pledged to help a 70-year-old man return home to his home state of Kerala after the man’s employer company reportedly refused to approve his migration.
The man – identified as Krishnadas – from Ernakulam district in Kerala, said his company had refused to let him go home.
Under the sponsorship system applicable in the Gulf region, no foreigner can enter or leave the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states without the approval of the sponsor, an individual or a company legally responsible for the movements of the employee.
“Now that he has brought the issue to the embassy’s attention, we will take up the matter with his employers and local officials,” Sanjiv Kohli, an official at the embassy, was quoted as saying by Qatari daily Gulf Times.
“We are hopeful that the issue would be settled once and for all in the shortest possible time,” he said.
Attempts by GCC authorities to address the issue have often been foiled by the business community which says that cancelling the system would harm the economy.
Indians make up one of the largest expatriate communities in the Gulf region, with around 175,000 in Qatar.