Sangrur pilot flies Iran evacuees to Jodhpur for quarantine
SANGRUR: Captain Amarinder Singh Dhaliwal (34), who hails from Punjab’s Sangrur district, flew 275 Indian nationals evacuated from coronavirus-hit Iran from New Delhi to Jodhpur on Sunday morning.
The passengers, many of whom have been living in Iran for long, will be quarantined for 14 days in a wellness facility set up at the Jodhpur military station.
Talking to HT over phone, Dhaliwal, a Spicejet pilot, said it was a challenging task but someone had to come forward for these people in this difficult hour.
“The 275 people, most of them from the Ladakh area, boarded the plane in New Delhi at 6:30am and we landed at 8.25am in Jodhpur. Most of them are businessmen and labourers,” said Captain Dhaliwal. These passengers are among nearly 400 people who were evacuated from Iran.
“Our four team members
Ashish Bhalla, Kannu Bajaj, Mohd Aamir Malik and Rekha Thakur, who dealt with the passengers, were in protective gear. All the passengers were screened one by one before boarding. Their further tests will be conducted in Jodhpur. Many of them were elderly and spoke Persian,” he added.
With 10-year flying experience, Dhaliwal added, “It gave me satisfaction as I did something for the people of my country in this hour of crisis. I hope all these passengers reach home safely after quarantine.”
His father NS Dhaliwal, a senior lawyer, said it was a matter of proud for the family that Amarinder showed courage for sake of humanity.
“My son has served the humanity. We hope he will continue to work for the nation in future,” he added.