Two ailing IL& FS men freed in Ethiopia

Mumbai, Dec. 2: Two of the seven IL& FS employees held hostage in Ethiopia by unpaid local staff have been released on health grounds following efforts by the Indian embassy, a source said.

The two had sent an email from captivity to the Indian embassy on their medical condition and sought help, the source said, adding that five other Indians continue to be held hostage.

Harish Bandi, one of the two employees released, was suffering from gastric issues and swelling in one of his fingers while the other, Bhaskar Reddy, was down with severe fever.

“A mail was written to the Indian embassy in Ethiopia, which acted promptly and, with the help of local police, the two employees were released,” said the source aware of the development.

Both the employees were then taken to a local hospital near the project site with the help of police, and from there to the capital city Addis Ababa, where they are recuperating.

The seven Indian employees were reported to be working on road construction projects for joint ventures between IL& FS Transportation Networks Ltd and

Spanish firms Elsamex S. A. And Ecoasfalt S. A.

The five employees currently in captivity are surviving on boiled rice, sweet potatoes and vegetables they had grown in their camp area, but the stock may not last for long, the source added.

The seven Indian workers of a unit of IL& FS have been held hostage since November 25 at three sites in Ethiopia’s Oromia and Amhara states by unpaid local staff.

IL& FS had defaulted on paying both taxes and local employee pensions over the past nine months.

The local workers have

supposedly not been given salaries for October and November by a subsidiary of IL& FS Transportation Networks ( ITNL).

A possible termination of some road projects being built by Indian and Spanish joint ventures may have triggered local employees to take such an action.