A Goa-resident stranded in London has sent “over a dozen” SOS mails to the Indian High Commission ever since his mother was hospitalised with brain haemorrhage but hasn’t found his name on the shortlist of repatriated passengers.
An IT-professional has been shortlisted to fly back to India but his wife and toddler child have not. While a laid off Indian in need of urgent medical attention managed a seat only after escalating it through influential Indian organisations, a student stranded in Northern Ireland is on the waitlist but can’t afford a flight to London Heathrow unless he is assured a seat.
As the government of India sends Air India flights to the United Kingdom as part of its Vande Bharat Mission to repatriate Indian citizens stuck abroad, a vast majority of people still do not feature in the shortlist of passengers and say there is little clarity on concerns and difficulties.
A Gujarat-based businessman said he has been in a constant state of anxiety as his wife remains stranded for nearly two months in the UK.
“My twin children at home are both unwell. I have stopped video calling her regularly because each time we see each other we all break down,” he said.
Indian tourists, workers and students who have been unable to return since mid-March spoke to The Quint about financial, emotional and logistical difficulties.
Those who have not been shortlisted for repatriation under the Vande Bharat Mission say there is no communication yet from the Indian High Commission in the UK regarding their future course of action.
Starting 8 May, the government has arranged for 7 flights from London Heathrow Airport to seven Indian cities – New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Ahmedabad. While there are two flights to Mumbai, other cities have one flight each.
As of 9 May, a total of 649 Indians had landed in India. While 326 arrived in Mumbai on 8 May, a flight carrying 323 passengers reached Bengaluru on the 9th.
Shortlisted Indians have also raised questions about being charged for flights at steep prices at a time when they are facing acute financial stress.
While economy class tickets have been priced at Rs 50,800, business class and first class seats are for Rs 1,40,715 and Rs 3,14,700 respectively.
Moreover, as those arriving in India will have to undergo mandatory 14-day quarantine and bear its costs, the financial concerns among those The Quint spoke to appears as grave as health concerns.
About 2,300 stranded Indians are expected to be repatriated from the UK between 8 and 15 May. While a total of 15,000 Indians are expected to be brought back from various countries, Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said there may be as many as 4 lakh Indians across the US, UK, the Middle East, Bangladesh and Singapore.
Following are accounts of some stranded Indians in the UK.
Husband Shortlisted But Not Wife & Toddler Child
Mayur Taware, an IT professional from Pune has been in London on work visa while his wife and 3-year-old child are on a tourist visa. They had a return ticket for 25 March but have been stranded ever since.
Taware told The Quint that while he was informed by the High Commission that he had made it to the shortlist, his wife and child are currently not on it.
“How can I leave my wife and child here and travel alone?” Taware told The Quint over the phone.
Taware said he has spoken with the High Commission but is yet to get a confirmation that they can all return together.
He said he has spent Rs 2.4 lakh so far on two sets of return tickets, both of which he eventually had to cancel. “I’m also bearing the expenses of my wife and child and this is eating into our savings,” he told.
“Daily, he is crying to go back. He is unable to adjust in a new country for such a long duration, hence want to go back as soon as possible as it is badly impacting his mental and physical health,” Taware added.
‘Have No Job, Income & Stuck in Northern Ireland’
Several students who spoke with The Quint said they were struggling financially in different parts of the UK without the opportunity to work part-time or have any source of income.
Kulbhushan Shah from Karnakata, who has recently graduated and is currently based in Belfast, Northern Ireland says his issues have been compounded by his location. While he has received a mail from the Indian High Commission informing him that he has been waitlisted, Shah finds himself in a peculiar and difficult situation.
“Without a confirmation about my flight status and date from Air India, I cannot afford to buy an air ticket from Belfast to London,” said Shah.
“Moreover, I have no contacts in London and it will be both risky and expensive to get there without knowing if i’m getting on the flight,” he added.
Shah, like many other students, is currently putting up in a shared accommodation on campus. “Recently, I got a call from an Indian family who were kind enough to help with groceries,” Shah told The Quint.
‘My Wife Is Stuck For 52 Days But Not On Shortlist’
Hiren Panchmatiya, a businessman based in Anand, Gujarat told The Quint that his relatives and he have sent over a dozen mails to the Indian High Commission and are living in constant anxiety.
“My wife was supposed to return on 25 March and is on a tourist visa. Both my twin children are unwell and desperate to see their mother. We are all in a constant state of anxiety and only we know how we have spent these last few weeks,” Panchmatiya said.
“There is little or no clarity from the High Commission and I’m feeling let down by the administration’s efforts. I hadn’t thought it would turn out like this,” he added.
Panchmatiya has been sending SOS mails and tweets almost on a daily basis but is yet to gain clarity about plans to repatriate those who aren’t on the current shortlist of passengers.
‘My Mother Suffered Brain Hemorrhage’
Rishee Kwatra, a Goa-based real estate businessman, has been paying GBP 40 daily for an accommodation near London’s Heathrow Airport hoping that he’ll be able to catch a flight soon. So far, that hasn’t happened.
Kwatra, who is in the UK on a tourist visa, was supposed to fly back on 25 February but has been unable to. On 25 March he learnt that his mother back home in Goa has been hospitalised with a brain hemmorrhage.
“I have sent at least over a dozen SOS mails to the Indian High Commission and authorities, and even provided proof of my mother’s serious condition,” Kwatra told The Quint over the phone from London.
While the High Commission’s official notice had mentioned that those with emergency needs will be given priority, Kwatra’s appeals have not earned him a seat on the flight back to India.
“Initially, I had found seats but those were all about Rs 6 to 7 lakh. Last month the High Commission had called me saying they can arrange accommodation for me in someone’s living room. I found this very bizarre given the high risk of this in the current pandemic,” he added.
Laid Off, No Income & In Need Of Medical Care
A Karnataka resident, who wished not to be named, who had arrived in the UK on a tier-II work visa was laid off in March because of COVID-19. He has since been without a job or income and in need of medical care after he discovered he has kidney stones.
“I have been stranded for over a month and in a bad financial state,” he told The Quint.
“I contacted the UK’s National Health Scheme (NHS) after suffering from kidney stone but even they are not replying properly and asked me to take online guidance,” he added.
“I cannot afford medical costs here and want to sort this out in India. However, even the Indian government did not respond for the last month,” he said.
He finally got a call on the 4 May after he escalated the issue to the Indian High Commission through an Indian organisation and was told he was on the flight shortlist.
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