DUBAI: A Facebook video has come to the rescue of an Indian woman from Odisha who had been stranded in Dubai for years without even her passport or the means to return home. Official sources confirmed that the Indian Consulate in Dubai successfully intervened to rescue and repatriate the woman, identified as Hasta Mahananda. A mother of three children, Hasta first arrived in the UAE in 2019. Although she visited India once and returned to Dubai in 2022, her employer refused to let her travel back home after that. For more than three years, she had absolutely no contact with her family in India. Consequently, her family in Odisha approached the Odisha High Court, which then directed diplomatic intervention in the matter.
Coincidentally around the same time, Hasta’s Facebook video caught the attention of consulate officials. Following this, the consulate expanded its investigation with the assistance of All India Radio. Utilizing her passport number and visa details, officials managed to track down her sponsor and company manager. Under intense pressure from the consulate, the company manager finally brought Hasta to the Dubai Consulate office on May 12.
Upon her arrival at the consulate, the authorities immediately canceled Hasta’s visa and labor contract. They then arranged for her accommodation and meals within the consulate premises for about 15 days. Furthermore, the consulate successfully compelled the company to clear her pending salary arrears and other service benefits.
“The company was not allowing me to return home. Finally, I shared a video on Facebook. After four months, the consulate tracked me down and gave me protection for nearly two weeks. I have three daughters back home studying in classes 10, 7, and 5. Now the consulate has also given me a ticket to return home, and I am extremely happy,” Hasta told the media following her rescue. The consulate sponsored her flight ticket back home using the Indian Community Welfare Fund. Hasta’s repatriation serves as a clear example of how social media can act as a lifeline for ordinary people isolated abroad.
ലഘു വിവരണം
വർഷങ്ങളായി പാസ്പോർട്ടും വിസയും കമ്പനി പൂഴ്ത്തിവെച്ചതിനെ തുടർന്ന് ദുബായിൽ കുടുങ്ങിയ ഒഡീഷ സ്വദേശിനി ഹസ്ത മഹാനന്ദയ്ക്ക് രക്ഷയായത് ഫേസ്ബുക്ക് വീഡിയോ. 2022 മുതൽ നാട്ടിൽ പോകാൻ അനുവദിക്കാതെ തൊഴിലുടമ തടഞ്ഞുവെച്ചതിനെ തുടർന്ന് ഇവർ ദുരിതത്തിലായിരുന്നു. ഒഡീഷ ഹൈക്കോടതിയുടെ ഇടപെടലിന് പിന്നാലെ ഹസ്ത പങ്കുവെച്ച വീഡിയോ ശ്രദ്ധയിൽപ്പെട്ട ഇന്ത്യൻ കോൺസുലേറ്റ് അധികൃതർ, കമ്പനി മാനേജരെ കണ്ടെത്തി ഇവരെ മോചിപ്പിച്ചു. കുടിശ്ശിക ശമ്പളവും മറ്റ് ആനുകൂല്യങ്ങളും വാങ്ങി നൽകിയ കോൺസുലേറ്റ്, ഇവർക്ക് സൗജന്യ ടിക്കറ്റും നൽകി നാട്ടിലേക്ക് അയച്ചു.
(With inputs from MN)
For more details: Navamalayalam.com