Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (EP)
Mangaluru, May 13: “The first Air India flight that landed in Mangaluru from Dubai with 177 passengers on Tuesday, May 12. As per government orders, those who arrived in such flights are compulsorily required to be quarantined at their own cost. These passengers have been ordered to be under quarantine as per such directions from the government,” said deputy commissioner Sindhu B Rupesh. She was clarifying allegations which claimed that the arrangements for the NRIs returning to India was below expectations.
Accused of neglecting non-resident Indians from Dubai, the DC clarified stating that the district administration has taken actions according to government regulations and that travellers had an option to pick the hotels for quarantine from a given list. The travellers were also notified of the hotel rates. "The details of quarantine and the rates were announced earlier. The details were provided on the website when the applications were being submitted," she asserted.
DC Sindhu B Rupesh
Responding to the accusations of delay after landing, the district commissioner said that amid the current scenario, the airport procedures would be delayed. The process reportedly faced a delay of over 3 to 4 hours after landing. This was because only 20 were allowed to get out of the plane at once. Further, screening of the passengers can also contribute to the delay. “Inspections were being conducted in the airport as per directions of the government. Passengers in the special flight cannot be let out all of a sudden. They have been allowed to go out at the rate of 20 passengers at a time. Therefore, the travellers had to remain in the aircraft for some time.” she added.
Reportedly, there were 40 pregnant women in the flight and necessary health check-ups were carried out, both on the night the plane landed and the following Wednesday morning. “All the passengers were examined and sent for quarantine by 2.30 am. The tests of 40 pregnant women who arrived on the flight were held today," the DC said.
The government has allowed a relaxation of rules for the NRIs. Pregnant women, children, women and the elderly have been given a certain amount of leeway.
Those who have tested negative after the swab test have been ordered home quarantine, DC Sindhu Rupesh clarified.
Further, regarding the migrant workers situation, the DC said, “The government has accepted applications through Seva Sindhu app from migrant workers who are in distress in the district. Over 40,500 applications have been received. Trains will run to other states from May 9. Most of the applications were from Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Arrangements for them are being made in stages. We have received around 25,000 applications regarding those who are arriving in the district from other states. The district administration has cleared 2,000 applications so far. Around 179 people have already arrived from other states, 25 of them have been placed under institution quarantine. Most of the applications regarding arriving have been submitted from people in Maharashtra."