The move will give people the satisfaction of being quarantined in their own state, said Tharoor (File)
Thiruvananthapuram:
Congress Chief Shashi Tharoor Urged Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri To Operate Repatriation Flights Connecting Europe, North America And Certain Other Regions With Kerala As Part Of Vande Bharat Mission .
In a letter to Mr. Puri, Shashi Tharoor said that while the repatriation flights, as part of the mission, brought the citizens of the country from certain big cities like San Francisco, New York and Frankfurt, these flights mainly flew to metropolitan hubs like New Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad.
“As a result, those wishing to travel to other states from these cities must undergo the mandatory quarantine period before being allowed to travel to their homes. This has become a concern for expatriate groups of Kerala State which are currently in these countries, “said the MP for Thiruvananthapuram.
“Recently, I received representation from more than 54 Keralites stranded in Germany, in a group that also includes pregnant women, the elderly and people facing the impending expiration of a visa,” he said. he declares.
The only way for this group to return would be to go to one of the abovementioned Indian cities and be quarantined there, said Mr. Tharoor, adding that this would not only cause mental anguish and anxiety about contracting. potentially the virus, but would also increase. pressure on existing infrastructure in these cities which serve as institutional quarantine facilities.
Similar concerns have also been raised by a number of Keralite pravasi (expatriates) social protection groups based in the United States, he said in a letter dated June 2.
“So there are good reasons to consider operationalizing the flights that land directly at one of the main airports in the state, in particular the airport in my constituency of Thiruvananthapuram, which has the proven ability to facilitate travel. “arrival of wide-body aircraft,” said Tharoor.
Such a measure would give these groups the mental satisfaction of being quarantined in their own state and would also allow for a smooth transfer to their respective homes after the quarantine period is over, he said.
While the majority of pravasis (expatriates) from the state residing in the Gulf Cooperation Council region and other parts of the Middle East, the state also has a large community in parts of Europe such as Germany as well as in other countries such as the United States, Algeria, Australia and Canada, Mr. Dit Tharoor.
The Department of External Affairs has also indicated that it would have no objection to direct flights from American and European airports to Kerala, provided there are enough passengers to fill the jumbo jets, a he declared.
