Indians plead for repatriation flights to Maharashtra state
Expatriates in UAE intensify online campaign for return flights
Several stranded Indians from the state of Maharashtra, who have been seeking repatriation flights from the UAE, have intensified their campaign on social media.
Many of them have formed WhatsApp groups and intensified Twitter campaigns with hashtags that appeal for repatriation flights to Maharashtra in western India.
Some have also changed their Twitter names and profile pictures to reflect their appeal.
‘##UAE to Maharashtra: Don’t ignore us’ is one of the Twitter accounts that recently changed its profile picture with images of many stranded Maharashtrians along with messages related to their campaign.
Several people in distress have been posting video clips to share their plight and seek authorities’ attention.
Many have also voiced that what is more frustrating to them is that there is no communication from the state government while it has given permission for flights to land from many countries except the UAE.
Neha Sawant, a single mother of 19-month-old twin girls, who came to Dubai looking for a job, is one of the stranded Maharashtrians. In an audio message posted on Twitter she said she failed to get a job and her return ticket got cancelled due to the Covid-19 situation.
Citing that one of her twin daughters is extremely unwell and her aged parents are unable to take care, the single mother pleaded with the authorities to reunite her with her family at the earliest.
Frustrated Maharashtrians have also been flooding the Twitter pages of the Indian missions in the UAE with their appeals.
In reply to one of the posts on the subject, the Indian
Consulate on Saturday said: “Several people from Maharashtra stranded here and we cannot help them unless there are flights to Maharashtra which is to be received from Central and state govt.”
In an update given on repatriation flights to Maharashtra on Saturday, state minister and chief minister’s son Aaditya Thackeray tweeted.
“From 7th June, 3rd phase of Vande Bharat will begin. State is coordinating with Union Govt to cover the sectors that haven’t yet been covered and to repatriate more people from these sectors,” said Thackeray who had earlier posted about his conversation with India’s Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar regarding repatriation flights.