Pemmasani Murali (24) and Gonem Varadaiah (25), the two Indian construction workers abducted by the Taliban, were released on Tuesday.
B Krishnaiah, chairman, B Seenaiah and Company Projects Limited, for which the two worked, told rediff.com: "They were brought to Kabul by the Ghazni governor. Subsequently, at 9 am Afghan time [1215 IST], an Afghan minister handed over the both the boys to Indian Ambassador Vivek Katju. Our company directors were present on the occasion."
"We are extremely happy at their safe release. I spoke to them after they were freed. They are very happy. They are quite healthy. They were well looked after during their captivity. They told me that they were taken from place to place and sheltered in some tribal hamlets after their abduction," he added.
On December 6 the two had gone in a vehicle to drop some Afghan co-workers at their village near Bazargan in Zabul province, the managing director said, adding that when they were coming back, four persons abducted them at gunpoint near Quadat.
Asked if the Afghan authorities had worked out a deal with the abductors, who were demanding the release of 50 Taliban militants in return for the two workers, he said "Negotiations for the release of the two workers went on for sometime between the Afghan interior minister and the abductors. There might be some accord between the Afghan government and the kidnappers but we are not aware of it. From the beginning we had confidence that they would be released unharmed."
"Afghan people like Indians. They feel Indians are helping them rebuild their country. There is lot of goodwill for Indians. We have no problem in continuing our operations on the road project. We don't expect any hassles," Seenaiah said.
The two were working on the Kabul-Kandahar highway reconstruction project.
Murali hails from Apparaopalem village near Atmakur and Varadaiah is a native of Ovveru village near Budhiredypalem.
Both are unmarried and were hired on salaries of Rs 10,000 per month. While Murali worked as a roller operator, Varadaiah was employed as a hot-mix operator.
Louis Berger Group Inc, a Washington-based company, had awarded the Rs 200 crore construction work for a 85-km road on the Kabul-Kandahar highway to a joint venture between B Seenaiah & Company (Projects) Limited and Delhi-based C & C Construction Company
Seenaiah & Company also got another contract of Rs 100 crore for a 101-km stretch between Kandahar and Spin Boldak funded by the Asian Development Bank.
B Seenaiah & Company employs 350 workers on the twin road projects, including 250 Indian workers and 100 Afghans. Though the contracts were awarded in May this year, the company started work only in September. This is the first time that the 30-year-old company is executing major projects outside India.
Murali's father P Penchalaiah (69) is a retired mandal development officer while his mother passed away recently.
Varadaiah's father Venkata Narasaiah (50) and mother Venkata Seshamma (45) belong to a poor family.
Murali and Varadaiah went to Afghanistan on September 14. It was their first trip abroad.
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