Thiruvananthapuram: The travel plans of minister K T Jaleel to Saudi Arabia to coordinate efforts with Kerala cultural groups amid reports of hundreds of Keralites in the Gulf kingdom having been rendered jobless, has gone awry.
Jaleel said that the journey has been delayed as he has not received the diplomatic passport after the External Affairs Ministry rejected his application.
Following the development, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan asked Jaleel to meet him urgently.
Local Self-Government Department Special secretary V.J. Baby is also scheduled to accompany Jaleel in his Saudi visit.
"I will be visiting Jeddah and two other places and will go to labour camps to see that the workers get the basic essential things," Jaleel had said the other day.
The present problem rose after a major Saudi company faced huge financial problems, which led to non-payment of salaries. Many workers, who wished to return, were unable to as their papers were not in order.
