Speaking at a press meet here on Sunday, Surya Kiran Gurung, Nepali ambassador to Russia, who is currently in the capital, urged the government to investigate into the activities of employer companies through Nepali diplomatic missions before permitting Nepali agents to send workers. “Nepali workers aspiring to go to European countries have turned Moscow into a transit hub in recent months. Some Nepalis are working as agents to illegally send Nepali youths to European countries,” Gurung informed mediapersons. [break]
Gurung, who is also looking after over a dozen countries bordering Russia, informed that four Nepalis had been arrested in Belarus for over-staying and drug-trafficking. An investigation launched by the Moscow-based Nepali mission found that a Ukrainian company, which recently placed demands for 250 Nepali workers, was fake. “Crimea-based Europainvest Ltd, which has signed an agreement with Nepal´s Swastik Overseas Pvt Ltd to receive 250 Nepali workers, is a fraudulent company and it is no longer in operation,” he added.
Speaking at the function, Minister for Labor and Transport Management Mohammad Aftab Alam said the ministry would look into the fake demands placed by the Ukrainian company. “We will take action against the Nepali manpower agency, which submitted fake documents regarding the demands of workers from Ukraine,” said Alam.
Swastik Overseas Pvt Ltd and Rajdhani International have registered applications at the Ministry of Labor and Transport Management, seeking permit to send 250 and 104 workers to Ukraine and Romania respectively. Similarly, Pioneer Overseas Pvt Ltd has also applied to send 200 workers to Poland. However, the applications have been pending at the ministry for a couple of months.
“We are studying the applications. We will grant permissions only after investigating the authenticity of the concerned employer companies,” Alam added. The Ukrainian company had demanded Nepali workers to work as brick layers and steel fixers.
Gurung also urged the government to be extra careful before sending workers to the countries in Eastern Europe, including Poland and Romania, which are hardly hit by the global meltdown. “People from these countries are moving to other countries in search of greener pastures,” Gurung informed.
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