Bhubaneswar, February 19 The Odisha government has written to the Centre, urging the relevant authorities to take immediate steps to ensure the safe return of six Odia workers stranded in Thailand.
The six labourers, reportedly working at a plywood company in Thailand, are "facing severe hardship as they have not been paid their salaries for the last three months," said Vishal Gagan, Principal Resident Commissioner based in Delhi, in a letter to the additional secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday.
The Odia workers went to the Southeast Asian country through an agent from Gorakhpur district in Uttar Pradesh, he said.
The Principal Resident Commissioner stated that the workers have pleaded on social media for their rescue and safe repatriation from Thailand to their native places in Kendrapara and Bhadrak districts in Odisha.
Sharing the passport details of the six stranded Odia workers, he wrote, "Given the serious plight of the workers, it is requested that urgent action may be initiated to ensure that the migrant workers receive their due remuneration and that the six migrant workers are urgently rescued and safely repatriated from Thailand to their native places in Odisha."
Naveen Patnaik, President of the BJD and Leader of the Opposition in the Odisha Assembly, has expressed deep concern over the plight of the labourers and has sought the intervention of the MEA and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi for their safe return.
"Deeply concerned to learn that six people from #Odisha are being ill-treated by their employer in Thailand and are in deep distress. I urge the Indian Government, the Ministry of External Affairs (@MEAIndia), and @CMO_Odisha to intervene urgently and coordinate with the officials of Thailand to ensure their early rescue," Patnaik wrote on X.