Youth given counselling to let go of ‘Gulf dreams’ RIGHTS ACTIVISTS WANT ‘GULF MARTYRS’ HONOURED

Six-year-old Siddarth, who sees his cousins being dropped to school daily by their dad, also wants to be taken to school by his father. He keeps telling his mom Lakshmi that he won’t go to school if his dad does not drop him.

Little does he know that his father, Motam Naresh from Jagtial district, who was working as a daily wage earner in Saudi Arabia, is now behind bars after being found in possession of banned tablets and sentenced to life imprisonment (24 years). He’s not the only one. There are at least five persons from Jagtial and Nizamabad districts who have been caught with the same tablets.

Doctors say that the tablet, called Tramadol, is a pain-relieving drug that is banned in Gulf countries. Due to the high price difference, people take it with them from here, not knowing the consequences and in the process they get trapped.

Naresh had taken two two strips of Tramadol tablets with him for his personal use and was arrested by local police for bringing the tablets into the country as it was an offence. “Naresh was unaware of this, but he was still arrested,” his wife Lakshmi said.

Naresh’s parents said that they have submitted representations to the External Affairs Minister and Telangana minister K.T. Rama Rao and they have assured them of help, but nothing happened.

Dr Rajesh K., a general surgeon, said that Tramadol is widely used as a pain reliever. “Its use is banned in the Gulf. People travelling from here, being mostly illiterate, are unaware of this and end up being arrested. They should apprise themselves of the dos and don’ts before they travel,” he said.

Migrant rights activist Ranjith Kadarla said that those planning to go to the Gulf to work should be given clear instructions on what they should not carry. In many parts of the state, for instance Jagtial, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, a job in any of the Gulf countries is an attractive dream and an ideal opportunity to overcome financial troubles.

But things are changing. For instance, Metlachittapur village in Metpally mandal has started counselling its youth against the Gulf fantasy.

The village has more than 850 families – of these, over 600 persons on an average of one from each family are working in Gulf countries.

Sarpanch S. Rajender Reddy says that there are many from the village who went to the Gulf to clear their debts by borrowing large sums of money, but who are still in debt.

A group of people from this village who are working in Gulf countries have created a WhatsApp group and are helping each other and also involving themselves in their village development.

Jyotula Pramod, who recently completed his Migrant rights activists in Telangana are observing International Workers’ Memorial Day (April 28) as Gulf Martyr’s day in memory of the migrant workers who lose their lives in Gulf countries due to various reasons.

They said out of the deaths of NRIs across the globe, more than 80 percent deaths are in the six Gulf countries which are a part of Gulf Cooperation Council, but still the state and central Governments graduation, said that he had been planning to go to the Gulf to work, emulating his father, but after seeing the situation there, dropped his plan.

“I dreamt of something big but after seeing how our people are struggling there just for money and living away from family, I are turning a blind eye to their welfare and confining themselves to doing something only whenever there is an issue.

Migrant Rights’ Council vice-president M. Bheem Reddy said that India was exporting manpower and importing fuel, which is becoming a business for them, but for the migrants and their families back home, it is an issue of life.

As per police records, every year more than 200 bodies of Gulf migrants arrive at RGI Airport. changed my mind. I have decided to work hard here itself and make my parents happy,” he said.

Mr Reddy said that to change mindsets, students are being counselled by explaining the benefits for which they are eligible from the government. To end a dispute regarding allocation of judicial officers among the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed the state governments to make an assessment of the required strength of the respective cadres of judicial officers with reference to the Appointed Day in consultation with the High Court and frame rules or create appropriate legal regime, fixing the strength of respective cadres of both states within four weeks from Thursday (April 27).

A two-member bench comprising Justice J. Chelameswar and Justice S. Abdul Nazeer was dealing with petitions by Telangana Judges Association and Telangana Government, challenging the guidelines by the Hyderabad High Court on February 26, 2016 for allocation of a subordinate judicial officer between both states.

Referring to certain objections raised by the Telangana Judges Association against the guidelines and in toto acceptance of AP government, the bench said: “We deem it appropriate to direct that the guidelines issued by the High Court be treated as the draft guidelines for allotment of judicial officers among the two states.”

The bench felt that “after the strength of the cadre is so determined, the exercise regarding appointment of officers in different cadres of the judicial service recruited under the relevant rules the existing state of AP is to be undertaken in accordance with certain guidelines”.

The bench directed that the Telangana Judges Association and Telangana Government as well the AP Government and any one of the judicial officers subject to control of the existing High Court and not belonging to Telangana Judges Association either individually or in their representative capacity may make suggestions within a period of four weeks from today to Union of India and the Hyderabad High Court.

The Union of India shall thereafter examine the suggestions and prepare draft guidelines in consultation with the High Court on or before June 17, and place the guidelines before them on the next date of hearing.

The bench permitted the Telangana government to make fresh rules for Telangana State Judicial Service Rules.

The High Court earlier termed the rules made by the Telangana government invalid as they were framed without consulting the High Court.