‘Stranded persons should wait patiently after registering with Embassies: Div Com
Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Pandurang Kondbarao Pole, on Tuesday said that while the process of evacuating Kashmiris from abroad started with Bangladesh, persons stranded in other countries will also be brought back soon. .
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Div Com said Ministry of External Affairs was regularly coordinating with the governments of various countries for evacuation of stranded Kashmiris. “The evacuation of students from Bangladesh is taking place. In addition, the MEA has gradually started the process for evacuation from other countries also,” Pole said. .
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The Div Com said people wishing to be evacuated should register themselves with the respective embassies and consulates. “It is being ensured that the travellers being brought back have tested negative for Covid-19. All standard operating procedures for their travel are followed properly,” Pole said. .
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The Div Com urged the stranded persons “not to panic and wait for their turn to be brought back home”. .
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“Evacuation process does take some time. So people need to wait patiently after registering,” Pole said, adding that the persons who have registered themselves with the embassies or consulates in their respective countries will be soon receiving further communication about their travel itineraries. .
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“Right now we are not in a position to say which of the countries will be next for the evacuation after Bangladesh. It is clear that sooner or later, people stranded in rest of the countries will also be brought back,” the Div Com said. .
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Meanwhile, demand of people stranded abroad for evacuation has been growing every passing day. Several persons stranded in Dubai told this newspaper about the hardships they have been facing due to the lockdown owing to Covid-19. “I am in Dubai on a visit and stranded here but no one is listening to us. I have written to all important authorities in Dubai and in India but to no avail,” said Aamir Rafiq.
Another stranded person told that his employers in Dubai have “sent him on an unpaid leave” which has created financial stress for him. “I have no source of income right now. Me and my wife are desperately in need to go back home. I cannot afford to pay the apartment rent and other charges while sitting idle here,” said the stranded person.
Several other stranded persons in Dubai and other emirates of the UAE have also demanded their immediate evacuation. “I am an expecting mother and came here on a visit visa of 3 months which has already expired on May 6. I don’t have any medical insurance and my husband cannot afford medical facilities for me over here,” wrote another stranded person in a text message to this newspaper.
She further wrote: “My husband is jobless since the lockdown and has not received his salary since April. We are running out of money and need to be home soon,” she said.GK
