For the past 17 days,Arvind Jaiswals family hasnt heard from him,and his contact number in Jalu city,which is 850 km from Tripoli in strife-torn Libya,is unreachable. Arvinds family members have been calling the Indian embassy in Tripoli,but there has been no news about him. The last time they spoke to Arvind was March 15. He told us that he had very little money left,and was trying to get help to reach Tripoli,or Benghazi,which is 350 km from Jalu,so that he could avail the facility of airlift arranged by the Indian government, said his brother Anil Jaiswal. The family has now approached Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas RPN Singh,who is an MP from neighbouring Kushi Nagar district. Singh told The Indian Express that he had spoken about Arvind to Vayalar Ravi,Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs,and his staff was following it up. Thirty-four-year-old Arvind,a resident of Maharajganjs Kothibhar locality,worked in Libya as a crane operator in a private company. He had gone to Libya in January,leaving behind his wife Savita Devi and three children,on a two-year work visa. He stayed at Jalus Miyan Talata area along with eight other employees of the same firm. Three of his associates were Bangladeshi,three Thai and two Nigerian. After trouble broke out in Libya,Arvinds family in Maharajganj regularly called him on his cellphone to know his wellbeing and asked him to leave Libya as soon as possible. But he did not have enough money to travel to Tripoli or Benghazi. The condition of those staying with him was no better either. The locals Arvind knew were also helpless because of the lawlessness and the shortage of money and food. Anil said the group had tried to raise money by selling their belongings,but without success. I have been calling up the embassy in Libya since March 8,requesting them to help my brother. They have given me a case number. They say they can do something in the matter only after Arvind reaches Tripoli or Benghazi airport, said Anil.
