600 workers from Telangana in Iraq

Hyderabad, June 18 (IANS) There are about 600 people from Telangana in Iraq and the government is taking all steps to ensure their safety, Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mohammed Mehmood Ali said Wednesday.

He said the state government was in touch with the ministry of external affairs and was gathering information about those from Telangana feared trapped in Iraq.

Ali told reporters here that the government has so far identified 600 workers from Telangana. He said Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhara Rao was in regular touch with the central government.

Earlier, Information Technology Minister Tarakarama Rao said the government would take all necessary steps to safely bring back the Telanganites trapped in Iraq.

The state government has already opened a helpline in NRI cell to provide information about the workers from the state trapped in Iraq and to render assistance.

The helpline numbers opened in the state secretariat are 040-23220603 and 9440854433.

The state government has also asked all district collectors to find out if workers/migrants from their respective districts are trapped in Iraq and if they require any help including evacuation.

The collectors were asked to collect details like passport numbers, address in Iraq and contact numbers so that the state government can get in touch with the ministry of external affairs for assistance.