5 Jharkhand migrants stranded in Cameroon return home

Ranchi, Dec 4 (PTI) Five migrant workers from Jharkhand stranded in Cameroon in central Africa and allegedly unpaid for months returned home on Thursday, officials said.

Shikha Lakra, team leader of the State Migrant Control Room (which functions under Jharkhand’s labour department), told PTI that the workers landed in Mumbai Airport on Tuesday and boarded the Mumbai-Howrah Mail on Wednesday and reached their home districts of Giridih and Hazaribagh on Thursday.

"They arrived at Parasnath station (in Giridih district) via the Mumbai–Howrah Mail and proceeded to their respective homes," said social activist Sikandar Ali, who raised the issue of the stranded workers with the state government.

Ali had taken up the matter with the state labour department, which coordinated with the Indian Embassy in Cameroon to complete the necessary formalities..

The workers were booked on flights back to India on Monday night.

"We got in touch with the Indian Embassy and shared all the documents of the workers and the employer (a Mumbai-based private company). The embassy got in touch with the local authorities and managed to clear the five months pending salaries of each of the five workers," said Lakra.

All the five workers had been hired by the company for transmission line laying work in Cameroon.

The five stranded workers are Sunil Mahato, Sukar Mahato, Chandrashekhar Kumar and Dilon Mahato, all residents of Vishnugarh police station area in Hazaribagh district, and Dilchand Mahato of Dumri in Giridih district. PTI ANB MNB