Kannadigas stranded overseas sore over less flights

As Phase 2 of the Vande Bharat repatriation flights get underway, the limited numbers of flights to Karnataka have left many state residents stranded overseas pessimistic.

Karnataka residents in Japan and New Zealand who have been omitted from the direct flight lists to the state pointed out that the number of flights to Maharashtra and Delhi outnumbers those to other states.

According to data from Air India, 80 flights in Phase two are headed to Delhi from international locations, followed by 21 to Maharashtra and 16 flights to Karnataka. Kerala has 41 flights expected, while Andhra Pradesh has 10 and Telangana has 16.

“Barring Kerala, the impression that one gets is that the south Indian community has been left out,” said Keerthan S, 28, a Bengaluru-based orthodontist who was on a one-month clinical training programme with the University of Tokyo in Japan.

Since then, Keerthan and at least 60 Kannadigas plus over 1,300 Indians have been waiting for commercial or repatriation flights to India. While Keerthan has been shortlisted for a May 28 Air India flight to Mumbai, he has been told that the ticket will cost 77,700 yen (Rs 54,629) - more than twice the normal fare.

“I have no choice but to pay for it. Tokyo is one of the most expensive cities in the world and I have already spent a lot,” he said.

He said his hopes about the Vande Bharat mission were dashed when he discovered that neither of the Phase Two flights from the country was headed to Bengaluru.

This sentiment was shared by Bengaluru-based techie Raghavendra Rao M, 41, stranded in Auckland, New Zealand, with 174 other Karnataka residents.

A few days ago, Rao was informed that only one flight was authorized for the country. “To our surprise, we were informed that it is an airliner with only 255 seats, and it is bound for Delhi. “India is the only country in the world which appears not to be interested in getting its citizens back. There is no information from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA),” he added.

The thought is sobering, said Anand (named changed), 23, an engineering student from Mysuru who withdrew from his college course in Wellington, New Zealand.

“With no job, it is a torturous situation. My student visa has expired. My weekly rent is NZ $180 (Rs 8,300), which my parents have to fund,” Anand said.

When asked what he would do if he did not secure a seat aboard the flight, tentatively scheduled for June 7, he said that the thought is conceivable. “I visit the Indian High Commission frequently. So far, there is no clarity,”
he said.

A look at the numbers

According to the Minister S Suresh Kumar, 10,823 state residents were stranded abroad when Phase 1 of the flights began earlier this month.

With the conclusion of the phase on May 15, 881 people had been brought back to Bengaluru on five flights, starting from May 11, according to data from Air India.

An additional 94 people were brought back from Kuala Lumpur on May 19 in the first flight to the city during Phase 2. On Wednesday, one flight coming from Muscat brought back 115 people to Bengaluru, while another flight from Dammam, brought back 85 people, including one infant, Air India added.

Sources say that the intention is to bring back 3,800 passengers to the state in 17 flights till the first week of June from Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United States, Qatar, Indonesia, Australia, Germany, Ireland, Canada, Philippines, France and Germany.

According to data from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), 1,88,646 Indian nationals abroad have so far registered to come back to the country.