Press release
Doha, Jun 15: Amidst several obstacles posed by coronavirus for the movement of stranded people in Qatar from India in particular, another major milestone has been achieved by a common man working for the cause of many. Subramanya Hebbagelu has been running from door to door, approaching all possible authorities from Indian embassy at Qatar, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, Civil Aviation ministry, chief minister’s office, Government of Karnataka to health ministries, COVID operations offices and listening to cry, pain, agony and suffering of many Indians including many Kannadigas.
Subramanya, along with his team of selfless and dedicated social workers Mahesh Gowda, vice-president, ICBF and Nagesh Rao, president, Karnataka Sangha Qatar were able to arrange a chartered flight to evacuate stranded people in Qatar belonging to Karnataka, helping them get back to their native land. A second flight to Bengaluru from Doha, Qatar scheduled to depart from Hamad International Airport on June 15, has been arranged by Karnataka Sangha Qatar (KSQ) in association with other Karnataka based organizations in Qatar under the guidance and cooperation of ICBF (Indian Community Benevolent Forum) serving under the aegis of Embassy of India, State of Qatar.
The chartered flights were arranged considering there are a large number of Kannadigas who have to be evacuated due to lack of jobs, medical backgrounds, poor standard of living, people stranded with temporary visas and such other specific necessities all caused due to COVID-19 and its cascading impact on the day to day life of society in general.
Over 180 passengers along with six infants are travelling as the second batch to return to India within a month. These passengers are informed in advance regarding the terms and conditions to be adhered under quarantine rules and regulations after landing in Bengaluru. The applicable rules and regulations from the Government of Karnataka and Government of India shall be applied to all the arrived passengers as agreed prior to flight arrangements.
The time and efforts of many must be specifically acknowledged at this juncture. KSQ, ICBF, social service volunteers and the passengers are deeply indebted to the extensive help offered by the following:
? Ravi Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary to Chief Minister of Karnataka
? Karthik KR, Special Officer, Government of Karnataka
? Meena Nagaraj, IAS, Nodal Officer for repatriation activities, Government of Karnataka
? Deepti, MEA, New Delhi and Consulate General Qatar
? UT Khader, MLA
? Director Bangalore International Airport Limited
? District Commissioner, Bangalore Urban
? District Commissioner, Mangalore
Special Thanks to
? His Excellency P Kumaran, Indian Ambassador to the State of Qatar
? Baburajan, President, ICBF
? BY Raghavendra, MP Shivamogga Constituency