Long wait to return home for Hakki Pikkis stranded in Madagascar

A 17-member group belonging to the Hakki-Pikki tribal community from Davangere district, stranded in the East African country Madagascar, may have to wait for some more weeks to return home if they can’t bear the expenses of a special chartered flight.

Davangere MPG M Siddeswara told DH that there was no provision to bear their travel expenses in the prevailing circumstances. However, international flight service is likely to begin next week. International flight service has been suspended in the wake of Covid-19. If that happens, they can return to India as the fare would be much lesser than a chartered flight, the MP said.

In a WhatsApp video sent to their relative in Channagiri taluk, the group members said, “The authorities of Indian Embassy in Madagascar are asking us to seek financial aid from an MP or a minister in Karnataka for travel expenses. We are ready to pay up to Rs 30,000 towards fare per ticket. But they are demanding Rs 90,000 from us. We don’t have that much money.”