Community helps Indian family overstaying in UAE for 30 years

Dubai - The family illegally stayed in the country for more than 30 years due to job loss and financial difficulties.

Generous offers of help are flowing in from different quarters for the Indian family that has been living without legal documents in the UAE for more than three decades.
Khaleej Times had last week reported on the plight of 60-year-old Madhusudhanan and his five children, who have never been to school due to their illegal residency status. His wife Rohini, 55, is from Sri Lanka, and the family illegally stayed in the country for more than 30 years due to job loss and financial difficulties.
Indian family lives in UAE without passports, visas for nearly 3 decades
The Indian Consulate on Sunday visited the family and has offered help to renew the passports of all the children, now aged between 21 and 29.
"We visited the family and has told them we will extend all help in renewing passports by following due process," Sumathi Vasudev, Acting Consul General and Labour Attaché, told Khaleej Times. She was accompanied by Prem Chand, Counsel, Passport and Community Affairs.
The family said they are overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness of community members who has rallied behind them following the media reports.
"Someone has promised to pay the rents the whole year. Another social worker has spoken to an Indian school that has offered to educate my children for free."
"It is after many months, my children have eaten well. We have enough grocery supplies to last an entire month now. I feel I should have come out and spoken about my situation much before. I have no words to thank everyone," said the father.
anjana@khaleejtimes.com   

• Dubai