Gulf Kannadigas up in arms over repatriation

MANGALURU: Kannadigas working in Gulf countries (United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Muscat and Doha), who have been anxiously waiting to return home, are irked that the Centre had arranged only one flight to Karnataka, that too after a backlash. The flight, which landed at MIA here on Tuesday, was earlier scheduled for Kerala. But it was diverted to Karnataka after a hue and cry.
“Around eight lakh Kannadigas work in the Gulf countries, and majority of them are from coastal Karnataka. This (not flying enough flights) is nothing but step-motherly treatment. Neighbouring states have flown several stranded expatriates, especially from the Gulf. But Karnataka has received only one flight from Dubai,” said an Indian working in Dubai.
Social media is abuzz with criticism against the state government and MPs from Karnataka for allegedly not being able to influence the Union government to operate more flights to Karnataka. In an audio message which is doing rounds, a man, who claims to be a Mangalurean working in Kuwait, says there are thousands of Kannadigas working in Kuwait. Many sick, pregnant women, students and people who have lost jobs are eagerly waiting to return, “but not a single flight has been allotted to us”, the man says.
When contacted, Union fertiliser minister DV Sadananda Gowda said Karnataka is doing its best to help those from the state stranded in the Gulf. “We have been able to divert Dubai flight to Mangaluru scheduled for Kerala. There are plans to have two more flights. We will soon provide details,” he said.
Gowda, who is overseeing the evacuation, said though there are lakhs of Indians working in the Gulf, not all of them want to return. “As per details I have received, about 1,000 Kannadigas from Saudi Arabia, 400 from Qatar and small numbers in other middle-east countries want to return. However, the numbers for Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat are much higher than that of Karnataka. This is the reason these states have more flights than Karnataka,” he said.