The wife of one of the two engineers stranded in Iran since December 2013, has sought intervention from newly-appointed Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar to secure the release of her husband and his colleague.
Vadodara-resident Sanket Pandya (36) and his colleague Mohammed Hussain Khan (from Haryana) were illegally 'confined' in Iran last year following the seizure of their passports when their employer Power Engineers India Ltd, allegedly got embroiled in a dispute with a company there.
Sanket's wife Priti, in a letter to Parsekar, said that the Goa company had been making false promises to families of the duo since almost a year about reuniting them but nothing has come through yet.
"It is due to the failure of this company, that both families have been suffering for long.It has put me, my two children and my widowed mother-in-law (Ilaben Pandya) into a lot of trouble as my husband is the only bread winner in the family," she said in the letter.
Speaking to PTI, Priti said, "I and Shabnam (wife of Khan) have threatened to launch an agitation in front of the CM's office in Panaji if he fails to persuade the Goa company to ensure the safe return of Sanket and Mohammed."
We deferred the agitation (dharna and fast unto death) due to change of guard in Goa but now I am pursuing the matter with Parsekar, she said.
Priti also reminded the new CM about the assurance given by his predecessor on the safe return of her husband and colleague before July 30.
She had approached former Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar in March this year, seeking his help in securing the release of the duo and facilitating their return to India.
In her letter, Priti has enclosed an e-mail message from Parrikar on July 18 stating, "had discussions with company directors.. They promised that solution might be possible in next 10 days."
She also informed Parsekar about approaching RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on the issue but in vain. Besides, she had earlier sought help from Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to secure the duo's release.
