Owing to the initiatives of philanthropist entrepreneurs in gulf countries, 344 Kannadigas stranded in Dammam in Saudi Arabia were repatriated to Mangaluru in two chartered flights on Thursday.
The first Gulf Air flight (GF7272) with 175 passengers arrived in the wee hours of Thursday at Mangalore International Airport (MIA).
The entire cost of flying a chartered aircraft with 175 passengers, providing quarantine facilities, Covid test and food for seven days, around Rs 70 lakh was incurred by Saqco Contracting Co, Dammam, Managing Director Altaf Ullal and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Basheer Sagar.
Among the 175 passengers, there were 61 senior citizens (some about 80 years), 55 pregnant women, 20 passengers with terminal diseases like cancer and 35 children. There were also four passengers whose parents had passed away during the lockdown. The passengers who landed at 1 am where shifted to institutional quarantine in buses.
“We had sought permission from the embassy at Dammam for the travel,” informs Altaf Ullal from Saqco Contracting Co, specialists in pipeline and metro projects, who provided employment to 1,500 employees.
Altaf from Ullal told DH that many of them on visit visa, due to free visit visa offer from the Saudi government, were left stranded due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Many lost jobs, pregnant women were desperate to go back and elderly people just could not stay back.
“The Almighty has blessed us, and we are doing our bit,” said Altaf.
No religion, caste or creed was considered and we have purely worked to send back people who desperately needed to reach home and those who required medical attention, informs Altaf.
“We have made sure that no employees of our company or their relatives have boarded the flight,” he said.
A second chartered flight with 169 passengers including 90 Kannidigas landed at Mangalore International Airport on Thursday evening (8.30 pm). The second chartered flight was booked by Expertise Contracting Director K S Sheikh Karnire.