Sk Abdul Sayeed. Telegraph picture

Kendrapara, Nov. 11: Over a hundred labourers from Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts have come back home from Saudi Arabia as the oil-rich country has launched a crackdown on illegal immigrants.

“The skilled labourers, caught in the complexities of visa renewal, were forced to leave Saudi Arabia as they had turned illegal immigrants following the expiry of their visa period. The administration has received reports of the workers’ return. The authorities have taken up the matter to ascertain the number of workers from Kendrapara still left there without valid visa,” said Kendrapara collector Niranjan Nayak.

“My visa period had expired. I was overstaying in Hara near Saudi capital Riyadh. I was engaged as a cook in a restaurant. I was earning a handsome amount of around Rs 40,000 as per Indian currency. As the Saudi government announced to drive away illegal expatriates, I quit the job and left the country with the help of Indian embassy in Riyadh. The local government had offered an amnesty period for the foreigners, who had overstayed. Before the period expired, I left Arabia with a temporary visa issued to me by the Indian embassy,” said Seikh Abdul Sayeed, 29, of Haladia village in the Derabishi police station limits in Kendrapara.

“So far I know, nearly 1,000 workers from Kendrapara are still overstaying there. I am grateful to my Saudi employer, who talked to the embassy people for my safe return to my country,” he said.

“Like me, thousands of workers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and other countries have already fled from there. As I know Omar Beig, 45, Nasir Beig, 42, of Kanipada village, Muktar Khan, 29, of Haladia, Sk. Hira, 30, of Dilarpur, Ramesh Jena, 41, of Patrapur village, Sambhunath Nayak, 34, of Bilikana and others from Kendrapara have managed to safely return from Saudi,” he said.

Former chairman of the Mahakalpada Panchyat Samity Balram Parida said: “The Saudi crackdown on illegal immigrants has sealed the fate of a large number of plumbers and other workers from Kendrapara and its nearby areas. At least 5,000 plumbers of the district and its nearby areas had been eking their livelihoods by doing jobs there.”