VILLAGERS SEEK AID FOR MAN WHO DIED IN THE GULF

Villagers, Gulf returnees and migrants rights activists participated in the funeral procession of a Gulf worker at Valigonda village of Mallapur Mandal in Jagtial district on Friday. They displayed placards under the auspices of ‘Gulf JAC’, and sought ` 5 lakh in ex-gratia for the deceased’s family from the Telangana government.

“In the last eight years, about 1,600 Telangana migrants have died in the Gulf countries,” said the president of the district sarpanches forum. A large crowd participated in the final journey with the embalmed mortal remains in a coffin. Migrants rights activist Mengu Anil, village sarpanch Dandiga Gangurajanna and others participated in the procession.

Gunti Barnabba, 42, of Valigonda village, recently died of a heart attack in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi. He is survived by his wife Amrutha and sons Ajay and Harshavardhan here.

The Pravasi Mithra Labour Union helped to repatriate the body from there, following which coworker Gajji Shankar accompanied the coffin to Hyderabad by the same flight. The body reached Valigonda village on Friday morning. The authorities provided a free ambulance facility for transporting the coffin from Hyderabad airport to Valigonda.

“About 200 Telangana migrant workers die every year in the Gulf countries. In the last eight years, about 1,600 coffins of Telangana migrants have reached their villages via Hyderabad airport. Final rituals were performed for some of the bodies in the Gulf countries,” said Singireddy Naresh Reddy, president of the Jagtial district sarpanches forum.

Guggilla Ravi, convener of Gulf JAC urged the state to provide ` 5 lakh each as exgratia to the families of deceased Gulf workers. President of Pravasi Mithra Labour Union urged the government to set up a Gulf Workers’ Welfare Board (Gulf Board) with an annual budget allocation of `500 crore.