In the constricted cells of Dammam deportation center more than 400 Indian expatriates await their turn to be repatriated to their homeland, according to the representatives of various Indian organizations who visited the deportation center recently. This huge number has arisen due to the neglect of the Indian embassy authorities, they said. Several inmates are languishing in the deportation center waiting for the out-pass from the Embassy of India to get out of their trauma, the representatives said.. Since the number of Indians in the deportation center has risen dramatically, Indian embassy officials have increased their visits to the center. But the routine visits are not enough to solve the problems of those confined in the center, according to the inmates. Most of them complain about their helplessness and apathy from the Indian authorities. “Even the routine visits twice a month by the embassy officials have started only one and a half years ago. And they are not enough to solve the problems of people like me who ended up in deportation center because my visa agent cheated me,” said an inmate from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Shaji Mathilakam, an independent social worker who visited the deportation center along with the embassy officials last week, said the few hourly visits of the officials are not enough to collect the data and information of all the Indians in the center. For many inmates, like Andhra Pradesh native Ramzan Ali, it has been months since they ended up in the deportation center. Ramzan Ali has been waiting to be repatriated since the beginning of the year. However, Indian embassy officials clarified to Saudi Gazette that it was not the case of providing the out-pass alone. Several inmates in the center face court cases and that is delaying their repatriation process. “Last week alone we gave out-pass to around 102 inmates. We are helpless when it comes to settling legal matters with the Saudi courts. Once those matters are settled they will be free to go,” said Balachandran, welfare wing attaché of the Indian embassy. Those caught by the police from all over the Eastern Province are brought to the Dammam deportation center to be repatriated adding to the huge number of inmates. Representatives of various Indian expatriate welfare organizations have urged the embassy officials to take the matter seriously and to increase the number of visits to the deportation center to help hasten the repatriation process. – SG __
