On Thursday, June 13 Kerala’s health minister did not receive clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs for her planned visit to Kuwait as the representative of the State government following the inferno in Kuwait that killed 23 Malyalis. She had reached Cochin International Airport and was waiting for the clearance which unfortunately was denied by the Central government.
Talking to PTI while at the airport, Ms George said, “We were hopeful of receiving the clearance at least in the last minute and had been pursuing it while on the way to the airport. Many of the injured Malayalis remain admitted in various hospitals back in Kuwait. Some of them are in intensive care units. Their families are not with them. While loss of every life is painful, Malayalis are the worst affected.”
The decision was made in an emergency meeting of Kerala’s state government cabinet. Veena George, along with State Mission Director Jeevan Babu, was instructed to travel to Kuwait to coordinate efforts related to the treatment of those from the state who sustained injuries as well as oversee the repatriation of the bodies of the deceased. The victims include 24 from Kerala.
No role for Veena George in Kuwait, say BJP leaders
As the central government faces criticism over denying permission to Veena George for Kuwait visit, BJP leaders support the central government’s move saying that her visit was unnecessary. “All procedures related to the repatriation of bodies were completed under the Ministry of External Affairs yesterday itself. So why should the Government of India unnecessarily send a state minister to coordinate the procedures?,” asked Surendran, the BJP state president. He added that the central government had swiftly completed the procedures to take the bodies of Malayalis to Kerala.
Former Union minister, K Muraleedharan also pointed out that there is no established system of sending a state minister to a foreign country to coordinate relief efforts related to a tragedy. If the central government would have permitted her, it would have set a wrong precedent for other states to grant clearance for a foreign visit over an official task.
The foreign ministry has not given any explanation for not granting the clearance.
Also Read: UN report accuses Israel and Hamas of committing war crimes
The Kuwait fire
A deadly fire broke out in the labor camp of the construction firm NBTC Kuwait killing 50 people. The residents of this apartment killed in the fire were mainly Indians, mostly Malayalis. The fire was triggered by the short circuit in the security room. The camp’s centralized air conditioning system caused the smoke to spread and the employees were left suffocated after inhaling it.
When enquired about their safety standards, the company’s executives said, “We comply with the safety requirements of the municipality and the government and follow a system of frequent inspections at our facilities.” Subsequently, they have introduced additional safety measures.
🚨 SHOCKING! Around 40 Indian nationals were killed in a building fire at an labour camp in Kuwait.
There is no saftey for Indian workers in middle east. Strong protest needed! pic.twitter.com/KkWfP8xdFm
— Indian Tech & Infra (@IndianTechGuide) June 12, 2024
In addition, the company offered financial aid to the families of the deceased in the fatal accident. “We will immediately release an assistance of ₹8 lakh to the families of each of the victims. In addition, we will give a bigger amount by way of additional insurance cover and indemnity. We will continue to stand by the grieving families. We had assigned a team each to the households of every victim on Friday as a show of our solidarity and support,” a senior executive said.
Mortal remains of these 45 Indians landed in their home country, via a special IAF aircraft, on June 14 at 10:30 am. Out of these, 31 arrived in Kochi, including 23 Keralites, 7 Tamilians and one person from Karnataka. These deceased individuals were given a guard of honor by the police.