Nepali workers that fled war-torn Libya in haste have landed in new problem after Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) refused to exchange Libyan Dinar that they brought with them.

Of around 1,800 poor workers that were forced to flee Libya, 1,369 had brought with them 265,000 Liyan Dinar, anticipating that it would at least help them recover the hard-earned wages.

"However, the central bank says it cannot exchange the currency. This is sheer irresponsibility on the part of the central bank,” fumed Tilak Ranabhat, former president of Nepal Foreign Employment Agencies Association (NFEAA).

The workers had deposited Libyan Dinar they held at the central bank as soon as they landed in Nepal.

NRB officials, however, said they could not exchange Libyan currency because international community was refusing to buy it as it has been removed from the list of currencies transacted in the currency market.

As per the existing rule, the central bank exchanges currencies that are listed in its formal exchange list. For currencies not listed in the list, it sends them to Singapore for exchange. “We did accept Dinar that the workers brought with them. But we could not issue them equivalent Nepali rupee because currency dealers in Singapore refused to accept Libyan Dinar,” said NRB Spokesperson Bhaskar Mani Gyawali.

He told Republica that the central bank was helpless on the matter. “If the dealers exchanged it, we will issue Nepali rupee to workers. Otherwise, the currency they brought will be frozen,” Gyawali stated.

The central bank officials said the Libyan currency could come into transactions once the war ended there. They also suggested the workers to wait till then.

However, manpower agencies that sent the workers to Libya vented ire on such response of the central bank.

“It will be injustice to the workers,” said Ranabhat, who led a delegation of Libya returnees to Ministry of Finance (MoF) on Monday. However, neither the Finance Minister, nor State Minister for Finance and Revenue Secretary were present at the office to hear their ordeal.

The workers, who related their sad saga of early return from Libya and burden of loans that they incurred while leaving for overseas job, appealed to the government to do the needful in addressing their problem. Ranabhat too asked the government to issue Nepali rupee in exchange of Libyan Dinar to the workers.

Somlal Bataju, president of NFEAA, urged the government to exchange Libyan Dinar even if that means financial burden on state coffers. “These workers had gone to Libya with the government´s permission. It cannot turn blind eyes to their plight,” he said.

Meanwhile, Libya-returnees that have claimed compensation from the manpower agencies have not got anything as a taskforce constituted to decide on whether or not they deserve compensation has not made any headway yet.

Published on: 19 April 2011 | Republica