Andhra poor brave Iraq death trap

ByP. Sridhar in Karimnagar and U. Sudhakar Reddy in Hyderabad

Andhra Pradesh's agricultural labourers prefer the scorching deserts of Iraq to the barren fields of their home state. The ever-present possibility of violent death does not terrify them: the alternative is a slow death from hunger.Hundreds of agricultural labourers from several drought-hit villages of Andhra Pradesh are migrating secretly to Iraq to make a living doing menial jobs in US military camps, construction sites and transport companies. As they leave their families behind, it is the prospect of decent pay packets that keeps their chins up.

At least they don't have to resort to begging, like many of their compatriots, their families say.The Indian government's "official ban" on visas to Iraq is no hindrance. Dubious agents from Mumbai, Hyderabad and Delhi help them slip into Iraq after they reach Kuwait and Dubai.

Most of them have no idea of the dangers. They have not heard about the Indian labourers who were kidnapped and held for ransom by resistance fighters. Even those who are aware of the dangers don't care. Several are working as dhobis (laundrymen), scavengers, cooks, drivers and construction workers in war-torn Iraq for salaries paid in US dollars.Officials said that about 500 workers from Karimnagar district fly to Gulf countries in search of work every month, and that a major chunk of them slipping into Iraq to make some quick money.

"Dangerous terrain, decent pay" is a formula acceptable to many of them.Special Branch (immigration department) assistant commissioner M. Ramachandra Reddy said that since there was a ban on flying to Iraq, workers go to other Gulf countries before finding their way to the war zone.The majority of the people leaving for the Gulf are from Telangana districts, such as Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Adilabad, and coastal districts, such as East and West Godavari. Migration to the Gulf is not new in any of these districts, but the exodus to Iraq is creating much heartache for the families of the labourers. Most of them spend sleepless nights thinking about what has become of their loved ones.The youth are doing it out of sheer desperation.

The devastating drought conditions and lack of livelihood opportunities in the villages are forcing their hands. Several unemployed youth of Morthad, in Nizamabad, and Khanapur, in Adilabad, are now working in Iraq. The trend is catching on in other villages too.The story of Paidipally Dayakar, 35, of Chalgal village in Karimnagar district, is a typical instance.

Faced with acute poverty, Dayakar, a driver, migrated to Iraq, leaving behind his son, three daughters and elderly parents. He borrowed Rs 1.5 lakh from local moneylenders to pay the agents who promised to get him to Iraq. Dayakar's parents, P. Narayana and Lakshmi, are now very worried about their son. "A person claiming to be our son's colleague called us up and said he was working as a driver," said Narayana. "But our son has not called us. Nor has he written a letter. We hope he is safe." Lakshmi said between sobs that she would not have allowed her son to go abroad had she known that his destination was Iraq.

"Who will take care of these motherless children if something goes wrong," she asked.It is learnt that over 1,000 youth from Chalgal village, which has a total population of 5,000, migrated to different Gulf countries in the last few years. Several hundred of them are now in Iraq.Karimnagar collector C. Parthasarthi, however, said he was unaware of the migration to Iraq and that he would inquire into the matter.A sub-inspector of the immigration wing told this newspaper that most of the youth were employed for menial tasks in military camps, such as washing and ironing clothes and cooking food. "They get about $800-$1,000 a month, which is a big sum for them," he said, adding that there were many travel agents conducting dubious operations from Hyderabad and Mumbai. "Sometimes the travel documents say that a person is an AC mechanic, or an electrician, but most of them are agricultural labourers," he said. The majority of the people who leave for Gulf countries are poor. "We can hardly find a software engineer or a technically qualified person going to the Gulf these days," said the sub-inspector.Mumbai-based agent B. Rajesh admitted that some of the persons he had helped travel to Gulf countries might have gone to Iraq. "I don't have details," he said.Gannarapu Bhoomaiah, who runs Surya Chandra International agency at Metpally, said he was flooded with requests from youth who wanted to go to Iraq.

"However, I bluntly refused to accept their applications. I told them that the government had banned visits to Iraq," he said.But not all agents care about government regulations. Most of them collect amounts ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh from the youth after promising them good jobs in Iraq. The "selected" youth are then sent to Dubai on visitors' visas and, subsequently, to different destinations in Iraq through Dubai-based job agencies that have links with the travel agents.This is a risky venture since some of the youth end up in Dubai's jails after their visas expire. K. Ravi of Chelgal village said most of the youth were so frustrated with the lack of opportunity that they were willing to take the risk. "We have no work here," he said. Their Gulf dreams shattered, several youth from Karimnagar district who went in search of livelihoods have returned home from Iraq.Konka Mahesh, 23, of Mutyampet in Malyal mandal, returned home penniless after spending about one month at the base camp of US-led forces stationed on the outskirts of Baghdad. Two other youth from the same village - K. Ramana Reddy, 24, and S. Ramulu, 24 - also reached home after undergoing nightmarish experiences in Iraq. Three more youth from Mutyampet are currently working in the same camp, known as Victoria Camp.These youth landed in the "desert trap" after being lured by greedy sub-agents of Mumbai-based Gulf job recruiting agencies in the name of attractive jobs in Dubai. Scores of unemployed youth left for Dubai by paying exorbitant amounts, even as much as Rs 1.50 lakh each, taken as loans at high interest rates in the last couple of months.

The availability of cheap labour in Telangana has prompted several Dubai-based manpower recruiting agencies to send job requirement quotations to their allied agencies in Mumbai, Hyderabad and other cities to cater to the requirements of the allied forces, in defiance of the existing ban in India on travelling to Iraq for employment.A visibly shaken Mahesh said that he, along with eight others from Mutyampet, Thatipalli and Gollapalli, left for Dubai on June 23, 2004, by paying Rs 1.10 lakh each to a mandal based sub-agent. "After spending two days at Alkush area in Dubai, we were airlifted to Baghdad by a white man. We realised that we were in Iraq only after landing at Baghdad international airport," Mahesh said. "We were taken to a military camp 15 km from the airport where we were entrusted with tasks like cleaning clothes and washing utensils for $1,200 per month," he said. There were workers from Kerala, Gujarat and other parts of the country besides those from Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Adilabad and West Godavari districts, he recalled. "Though we were offered nutritious food, the constant fear of attacks by the rebels haunted us in the camps," he said.So what made him and the others return home? "The bullet injury suffered by one of our Pakistani colleagues while travelling with military troops to Baghdad frightened us. On that particular day we made up our minds to go back home," Mahesh said.Mahesh said they persuaded a "madam" at the camp to leave home by abstaining from work for a day.

"Three of us managed to arrive in Mumbai via Dubai with the help of the compassionate madam," he said. Laxmakka, Mahesh's mother, said that their family was now heavily in debt because her son's trip abroad, for which he had taken a large loan, had proved unsuccessful.The government has as yet not cared to find out ways to prevent the youth from going on this suicidal venture. In fact, the authorities have no information on the youth who have gone to the killing fields to make a life.When contacted, director-general of police Swaranjit Sen said, "There may be instances of youth going to Iraq through the Middle East. However, it's not at an alarming rate, otherwise it would have caught our attention." The DGP added that the police will probe the issue.

(Published in Deccan Chronicle and Asian Age on March 2, 2005)