Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP/SD)
Mangaluru, May 30: Kannadigas who have an agonizing wait to return to their homes after they lost all support in Saudi Arabia as they lost jobs due to coronavirus-related lockdown, have got a ray of hope finally.
Efforts made by some leading companies to make arrangements to send back those who came here to work for them and now have no work, have borne fruits. As a result, these employees will be returning to the city by private aircrafts hired by these companies. These flights will begin to be operate from Saturday May 30 onwards. Those who went there on visit visas to work in these companies will also be returning.
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Former deputy chairperson of NRI Forum of Karnataka, Dr Arathi Krishna, had played a vital role in managing to get approval to fly back stranded Indian expatriate workers. Speaking on the efforts she had to make and the entrepreneurs she said that she was approached by the two Mangalurean entrepreneurs who wanted to send their employees home by chartered flights. She also said that she had advised them to write to the Indian ambassador in Saudi Arabia Ausaf Sayeed whom she requested to forward the request to joint secretary Dr Nagendra Prasad, who is in-charge of gulf division in the Ministry of External Affairs, then to secretary in charge of gulf. She further requested secretary of economic relations Mr T S Tirumurti who was also in-charge of gulf to follow up the issue. Dr Arathi also informed that she persisted officers to take the issue up to foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri about requests for chartered flights. She said that people requesting from Saudi Arabia for chartered flights have now received confirmation.
Managing director of Expertise Contracting Company, K S Sheikh Karnire, and his brothers said that they have received permission to send people to Mangaluru in two hired aircrafts by next week. "In the first two flights, 360 people will go back. People will also be travelling to New Delhi, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad and Chennai by seven other flights engaged by the company. Our company will bear their travel expenses and also the quarantine expenses they will incur after reaching India. Our efforts lasting over six weeks have finally yielded result,” they said.
The brothers are thankful to the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, external affairs minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, union minister for civil aviation Hardeep Singh Puri and chief minister of Karnataka B S Yediyurappa for making this possible. They said they are also indebted to Dakshina Kannada district administration which gave its nod for the arrival of people from here and also to arrange to quarantine them there.
It is gathered that AlMuzain Company belonging to reputed NRI Indian businessman Zacharia Bajpe, has also got permission to ferry employees in three rented aeroplanes to India. These flights will reach the city on June 2, 5, and 8, it is learnt.