The Daily Populous Thursday October 31st, 2024 evening edition
Authored by hindustantimes.com and submitted by rustyyryan

In a span of eight years following the launch of Mohammed bin Salman’s ‘Saudi vision 2030 project,’ over 21,000 workers have lost their lives, statistics have revealed. Neom unveiled its luxury Red Sea island, Sindalah, featuring hotels and restaurants, amid skepticism about its viability.

The workers have said they feel like “trapped slaves” and “beggars,” raising serious concerns about alleged unpaid wages, illegal working hours and human rights abuses.

Workers and families of those who have died in Saudi Arabia have shared their stories from recent years, featured in ITV’s latest documentary, “Kingdom Uncovered: Inside Saudi Arabia, which examines the dangerous conditions many have faced.”

The documentary delves into the alleged illegal practices and serious violations that many claim take place daily under the pretense of constructing some of the world’s most expensive building projects.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a prominent figure in the Kingdom has been leading efforts to transform the oil state into a global tourism hub.

He has invested trillions in his ‘Saudi vision 2030 project,’ which includes ambitious developments like Neom, featuring innovative concepts such as The Line.

While there are grand plans for these developments, human rights groups have expressed concerns about the large-scale construction projects.

Growing concerns have emerged that migrant labourers may be exploited and many locals could be displaced in Saudi Arabia. The country faces serious claims regarding a significant number of migrant workers in construction who have reportedly gone missing, with reports suggesting that as many as 100,000 have disappeared during the construction of Neom.

Neom is an urban development project being constructed by Saudi Arabia in Tabuk Province. Launched in 2017 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, it is located at the northern tip of the Red Sea, directly east of Egypt across the Gulf of Aqaba and south of Jordan.

New figures from ITV indicate that 21,000 foreign workers from India, Bangladesh, and Nepal have died since the launch of vision 2030, while Nepal’s foreign employment board has reported that the deaths of over 650 Nepalese workers remain unexplained.

In the documentary, undercover journalist Noura speaks to workers from The Line about the impact the project has had on their lives. This futuristic, 100-mile car-free city, designed to accommodate a million residents is currently under construction deep in the Saudi desert.

In the documentary, a worker said he often works 16-hour days on a tunnel for The Line, putting in over 84 hours in a week, even though Saudi law allows only 60 hours.

He mentioned feeling tired and anxious, saying, “We work very hard and have little time to rest. We are treated like beggars.”

Nicholas McGeehan from FairSquare, a human rights group, said these working hours are too long and show that workers in Saudi Arabia face serious abuse. Another local worker said, “We feel like trapped slaves.”

Noura, the journalist found that many workers had not been paid for months, with some waiting up to 10 months for their money.

Workers reported not getting enough food and being unable to leave Saudi Arabia to see their families. A driver for Neom said that tiredness has caused many accidents with almost five crashes each month.

Neom in its response has said that they are looking into the claims and require their contractors to follow their rules based on Saudi laws and international labour organisation standards.

The documentary has also showed that long hours, not enough food, lack of sleep and a stressful environment cause serious health problems.

A Nepalese worker identfied as Raju Bishwakarma called for help, saying, “Please rescue me.” He was later found dead in his room after being told he could leave if he paid a fine equal to five months' salary.

After his death, videos showed workers carrying him away and many protested the poor conditions they faced. Nepali human rights lawyer Anurag Devkota said, “Migrant workers come here for a better future for their families, but instead, we are getting dead bodies in wooden boxes.”

iCowboy on October 31st, 2024 at 08:34 UTC »

They’re set to be awarded the 2034 World Cup by FIFA after a bidding process that was somehow even more corrupt than saw the competition awarded to Qatar. Expect tens of thousands more labourers to be killed and injured in that vanity project as the World turns a blind eye.

DCtheBREAKER on October 31st, 2024 at 05:45 UTC »

Workers? You mean slaves? Let's call it what it is.

lemonfreshhh on October 31st, 2024 at 05:19 UTC »

Everything in Saudi Arabia is fake except for its brutality, unfairness and medievalness. Peak oil is coming for them too, and I'm fine with them returning to absolute stupid irrelevancy on the world stage. They had a chance to catch up with the World, they blew it on vanity projects of rulers with god complexes.