Dubai, Aug 29 : The survivors of the fire that broke out in a heavily overcrowded Naif villa in Dubai where 500 Indian workers were living, face an uphill task.

Like any other morning Suresh Kumar, a 25-year-old tile fixer, was making paratha (Indian bread) together with another roommate when Tuesday’s blaze broke out.

Kumar, who has lived in the townhouse for almost a year, is one of the survivors of the fire that claimed 11 lives. According to him, the house had 45 rooms.

“I lived in room number 22 on the second floor together with 14 other people,” the Gulf News quoted Kumar, as saying.

“On the tenth day of every month an agent used to come to the building to collect the rent,” he said.

Dubai, Aug 28 : The 42 Indian workers, mostly from Andhra Pradesh, whose belongings were reduced to ashes in a devastating fire at their villa on Tuesday in Dubai’s Naif area, have been given refuge in the Indian consulate here.

The ten workers who were killed in the fire hailed from Metpally Taluka in the Telengana region of Andhra.

Temporary arrangements have been made for the consulate to provide the workers with food and shelter. Most of the Indian workers at the villa were staying illegally.

Venu Rajamony, the Indian Consul General, on Wednesday visited the area in Naif where the 30-room villa complex stood, and met the affected Indian workers who had been gathered in large numbers since the morning.

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Dubai, July 24 : Indian expatriates in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have expressed happiness over the UPA Government’s trust vote victory in Parliament back home, describing it as a defining moment in the country''s history.

According to the Gulf News, others expressed hope that the government will now be able to push ahead with its reforms agenda without worrying about the Left.

Some also said that they wanted the government to come clean on the bribery allegations levelled by the opposition.

The paper quoted K. V. Shamsudheen, director, Barjeel Geojit Securities LLC, as saying that he hoped Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would break his shackles.