4,000 Indian workers stranded in Kuwait as company fails to pay wages

At least 4,000 Indian workers are stranded in Kuwait after a company they were working for failed to pay them wages, the Indians do not have enough money to come back home and to compound their misery the visas have expired and the company has kept their passports.

The construction company said it doesn't have funds to pay salaries to the Indians as projects have dried up.

Social activist Shaheen Sayyed who is closely associated with the workers said: "Kuwait government is aware of the situation, it has said that the workers' bank accounts have been frozen."

In fact, reports say the Indian workers haven't been paid for nearly a year, with some unable to afford to go to the hospital for treatment. The workers are reportedly afraid of being caught without valid visas.

The company has kept the Indian workers in a camp on the outskirts of the city. The workers have reportedly also demonstrated outside the company's office but most of them have stayed put at the camp as they don't have enough money to travel outside.

Shaheen said the Indian embassy is aware of the situation and has urged the government to set up a welfare fund to solve the financial crisis faced by the Indian workers.

 "We are trying to highlight this issue to the Indian government through social media," Shaheen added.