68,000 Tamils stuck abroad still await evacuation

68,000 Tamils stuck abroad still await evacuation

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:18.09.2020

Nearly 68,000 Tamils, who have registered for rescue flights, are still waiting to return from nine countries, mostly from the Middle East.

Of the 1.48 lakh people who have registered, 79,000 returned to the state by Vande Bharat flights and charter flights in the past four months, said minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan. The minister mentioned the details in a written reply to a question submitted by Ramnathapuram MP K Navaskani in Lok Sabha.

He also said the Vande Bharat mission has moved into its sixth phase.

Though a little more than 50% of those who registered have reached home, around 40,000 people are still in the UAE waiting to return. Around 60,000 people had registered to return from the UAE, of which 25,572 reached TN in the past four months. Many from the state are still stranded in Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Singapore, Japan and Thailand. The number of people stuck in Japan and Thailand is relatively less at 176 and 240. As per the reply submitted in the Lok Sabha, everyone who registered from Iraq, Malaysia and South Korea have returned.

“A lot of people are still requesting for return flights. We have helped many by funding their quarantine stay. A majority are from districts like Trichy, Thanjavur, Tirunelveli and others in the south,” Navaskani said.

Chennai airport continues to receive relief flights from the Middle East and Southeast Asia. However, it is not clear if everyone who registered is returning.

“Relief flights continue to bring people from Dubai, Colombo, Riyadh, Oman, Bahrain, Dhaka, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. More flights are likely in the coming days as Vande Bharat flights are still in operation and people are also coming in charter flights,” said an airport official.