Jobs lost, savings over, 50K from Qatar want to return

Nagpur: Stranded in Qatar from the past two and a half months, city resident Anil Shirbhate is worried for his family, particularly his wife, who is suffering from brain tumour.
Santosh Gaikwad from Khopoli in Raigad, too, is finding it extremely difficult to survive there due to costly standards of living.
In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, thousands of Indian citizens, including these two, lost their jobs and since then have been stranded there since the last two and half months due to lockdown in both countries.
According to the duo, nearly 50,000 Indians are stranded in Qatar, a majority of them in the capital Doha, hoping for help from the Centre and state to evacuate them. Around 30,000 are from Kerala alone, while 2,400 are from Maharashtra and other states. Over 300 are from Vidarbha.
Though both Shirbhate and Gaikwad were appreciative of the help extended by the Indian embassy, they blamed the Maharashtra government for being reluctant to bring them back by not allowing flights to land in the state, apprehending further spread of deadly virus.
“Many are with their families. We’ve exhausted all our savings. Now, we’re pooling in our remaining resources to take care of the others who have lost everything. It’s impossible for us to survive here. Everything is very expensive, like the rent of a two-bedroom flat is around one lakh per month. Some are frustrated to such an extent that they talk of committing suicide. With a lot of encouragement and positive talk, we keep their morale high,” they told TOI.
They are, however, all praise for the Kerala government for its proactive approach in evacuating its citizens.
Refuting the allegations, Maharashtra chief secretary Ajoy Mehta said the government was making all out efforts, not only for the stranded citizens in Qatar, but also for those in other countries.
“We have set some conditions for them like they need to inform us about their final destination after landing in Mumbai. They would be put under institutional quarantine for a week and at home for the next seven days as per the Government of India’s rules. We’ve published a list of hotels, right from five star to even lodges for their quarantine. In fact, we’re among the few states who’re offering free quarantine at our Covid centres in Mumbai,” he told TOI.
Vinod Nair, who is helping these stranded citizens by coordinating with the Indian embassy, told TOI that Maharashtra being a big state should have demanded more Vande Bharat flights for repatriating its citizens. “The Indian government has allowed 300 flights to bring back stranded migrants from Gulf countries. We’ve formed a committee to make a list of all stranded citizens who want to go back. We will hand over the list to the Indian embassy,” said Nair.
Another citizen, who didn’t wish to be named, claimed that maximum Vande Bharat flights were going to Kerala, but only one flight was allowed to Mumbai in the last two and a half months. The flight is scheduled to take off on Monday.
“We’ve tried to contact all the important leaders from the ruling dispensation and the opposition in the state, but none is willing to help us. We’re even ready to pay for a chartered flight. We only need permission from the Maharashtra government to land the flight in Nagpur or Aurangabad if not in Mumbai or Pune,” he said.
Shirbhate, who was lucky to get the ticket for Monday’s flight, said for over 2,000 citizens, the state has allowed only one flight that will carry roughly 180 passengers. “Many families like Vijendra Selokar’s from Manewada in the city are worried as they would have to confirm admissions of their children in schools and colleges. If there is any further delay then their wards may lose one academic year,” he told TOI.
Gaikwad, who couldn’t get a ticket, is uncertain about his future. “We’re only doing coordination work from the time we were laid off. Ideally, it should be done by the government. Identifying Indian citizens, readying their documents to return, talking and encouraging them to have patience is the government’s job,” he said.
THE STORY SO FAR:
* Nearly 50,000 Indian nationals are working in Qatar
* Around 30K are from Kerala, 2K from Maharashtra & rest from the other states
* After Covid-19, many have lost their jobs due to shut-downs
* They are stranded since the lockdown was announced in India on March 25
* They have made numerous appeals to all political leaders to evacuate them
* Since two & a half months, they have exhausted all their savings on essentials
* Not only frustrated, they are staring at penury with nothing to do
* They claim Maharashtra govt not allowing Vande Bharat flights to land