TOI Editorial: Kuwait fire tragedy….Indians also exploit Indian expatriates

New Delhi : 50 migrant workers have died in a fire in a building in Kuwait. 45 of those who died in the accident three days ago were Indian migrant workers. After the accident, the work of bringing back the bodies of these migrant workers to India is going on. The government is helping in this at its level. Community networks are an important enabling factor for Indians to find work across the country and indeed around the world. However, the Kuwait fire that took the lives of 45 Indians is a reminder that such networks can also have a dark side.

Trust and Betrayal

The news that the building where the deaths occurred was a fire hazard. This was because the building was using cardboard and plastic to divide the workers into cramped rooms. Their roof doors were locked. The accident was horrific. It was later revealed that an Indian was looking after the building. he/she had hired most of those who died in the accident. Somehow this is worse. It is obvious why. It is because this has now become a case where not only were workplace safety not provided in a foreign country, but an Indian employer also thought Indians did not deserve better. Apart from this, there is the controversial issue of illegal immigration, where credible stories and agents play an even more dangerous role. Indians have become the third largest unauthorized immigrant population in the US.

Kuwait fire incident: The building that killed 45 Indians in Kuwait was full of flaws, big revelation in investigation

Home and abroad

The networks that Keralites, Gujaratis, Punjabis and others rely on to make legitimate homes around the world are an invaluable social and economic resource for India. The Kuwait fire reminds us that here too there are stories of exodus, betrayal, fraud or, more simply, disappointment. Suppose students who are happy to receive help with transportation, accommodation and so on from Indian student unions when they land on foreign campuses find these oppressive narrow-mindedness. A public policy that tries to address all the nasty perversions of human nature would be futile. Still, the Indian government should increase its efforts to ensure safe working conditions for overseas Indian workers. Their numbers are bound to increase. Experts suggest that a national-level migration database would be useful in this direction.