Stuck in Dubai, 800 JK residents without essentials, money, demand evacuation | KNO

Kashmir News Observer (KNO)

Srinagar, May 27 (KNO): At least 800 people from the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir who are stranded in parts of Dubai have demanded an immediate evacuation stating that they have run out of money and resources. People mostly traders who are stranded in Dubai told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that all the resources available with them have exhausted and they are on verge of starvation due to the prolonged lock-down enforced in view of the Covid-19 pandemic and they have no money to travel back. They said that no work over the past weeks has compelled them to stay indoors and they are without essential commodities. They said that among the 800 stranded people over 80 per cent are employees and traders who haven’t earned a single penny during the lockdown and are indoors since then. “People employed here are without salary since the month of April due to no work as the lockdown was enforced across the whole country in view of the COVID pandemic and people are running out of essentials,” they said. At least 800 people have registered with Indian embassy but on May 22 only 150 people were evacuated by flight under Vandhe Bharat mission while at least 165 stranded people that day were made to leave back from the airport and were not allowed to board the flight, they said. Tahir Bhat, one of the stranded Kashmiri said that over the weeks only one flight has operated and evacuated 150 people but since then not a single flight has arrived to fly them back leaving them to suffer under immense challenging conditions. He said that no help from any quarter has reached them and they are undergoing really tough times and if the same situation continues for some more days they will die of starvation. They appealed the government of India and government of Jammu and Kashmir to facilitate their return home. Meanwhile advisor to Lt Governor, Baseer Ahmad Khan told KNO that they are working on it and process is underway. “All those stranded there will be brought back. It may take some time but everyone will be brought back, we are working on it,” he said—(KNO)