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Dubai: 23 NRIs lose passports in New Year fire; get exit papers

January 8, 2016

Dubai, Jan 8: At least 23 Indians affected in the New Year's Eve fire at the Address Downtown Hotel have left the country on emergency exit papers issued by the Indian Consulate in Dubai after they lost their passports in the blaze.

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The belongings of hundreds of hotel guests and residents (including owners and tenants residing in the hotel apartments) in the 63-storey hotel were affected in the fire. The blaze had raged through 40 floors upwards after starting off in the 20th floor a couple of hours before the stunning New Year fireworks at the Burj Khalifa started.

The hotel authorities had coordinated with various embassies and consulates to assist the guests who lost their passports in the fire to travel back to their destinations. In a statement issued last week, Mohamed Alabbar, chairman of Emaar Properties, thanked various embassy and consulate officials in the UAE for their support in facilitating the travel and documentation process for the hotel guests.

The Indian Consulate had set up a special helpline to address queries. The website of the mission continued to scroll the helpline number and email address for contact even until Thursday.

When contacted, an official in charge of the team assisting the fire victims told Khaleej Times the mission had assigned a team of officials to assist the fire victims, and helped many hotel guests leave the country by issuing an emergency certificate, also known as out-pass.

"We had visited the site to enquire about the welfare of the Indians affected in the fire ... and we had been in touch with the hotel authorities," the spokesperson said.

The hotel management, he said, informed the mission that at least 72 occupants were Indian nationals. "We assume they are guests who booked the hotel rooms for New Year celebrations and could have one or more family members also with them."

However, not all of them required help with travel documents. "We issued ... the out-passes for those who lost their passports. Only 23 applications came in for these emergency certificates."

He said the applicants had produced soft copies of their damaged or lost passports as proof. "Most of them had come down from India and a handful of them came from elsewhere, probably."

However, he said the mission has not yet received any applications from the Indian residents in the hotel apartments. "So far, we have handled the applications of only those who came on visit visas."

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News Network
July 28,2020

Dubai, Jul 28: A heart-broken father who lost his 19-year-old son in a tragic car accident during Christmas last year has sponsored the repatriation costs of 61 Indians stranded in the UAE.

 The special flydubai repatriation flight, chartered by the All Kerala Colleges Alumni Federation (Akcaf) volunteer group, of which he is a member of, departed from Dubai to Kochi on July 25 carrying 199 passengers.

 On this particular flight, I sponsored 55 air tickets," said TN Krishnakumar, a sales and marketing director. He had lost his son Rohit Krishnakumar in a car accident, which also claimed the life of the teen's friend, Sharat Kumar (21).

"All passengers who were registered with the Indian missions were also asked to register on the Akcaf volunteer group website. Each passenger was further vetted, after which we made home visits to ensure that all the applicants were genuinely in need of financial support and repatriation," he said.

Commenting on what inspired him to dedicate himself to community work, Krishankumar said: "When a situation like this comes up, you realise there is no meaning in money. I invested everything I made into my son, and that had crashed in front of my eyes. He was a third-year medical student at the University of Manchester in the UK and had returned home for a vacation when the accident took place. Since then, I have been involved in a lot of social activities. If I do not do this, there is no meaning to my existence."

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Krishnakumar said the group has supported thousands of individuals in need of help. "We supported unemployed people with several hundred bags of grocery kits and other necessary items. We also supported Covid-19 patients by transferring them to the medical facility in Warsan, etc.," he said.

"I come from a very middle-class family. I got a scholarship to study in college, and I studied with the help of taxpayers' money. I have always wanted to give back to society. I have grown immensely in life and now is my time to give back.," he added.

Krishnakumar also sponsors the education of over 1,000 academically gifted school children in Kerala's government-aided schools. He is a life trustee at the College of Engineering Trivandrum Alumni Galaxy Charitable Trust and an active participant towards various educational causes.

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News Network
May 31,2020

Dubai, May 31: As many as 84 beggars have been arrested in Dubai during the Eid Al Fitr holiday, the Dubai Police have said.

The arrests were carried out as part of their anti-begging campaign to prevent begging during the holy month of Ramadan.

Some illegal vendors, too, have been arrested in different areas of the emirate, the police added.

Colonel Ali Salem, Director of the Infiltrators Department at the Criminal Investigations Department of Dubai Police, said that the campaign aims to maintain the safety and security of the society, adding that the campaign was successful and helped reduce the number of beggars across the emirate.

He called on the public to report begging activities to the number 901 or the Dubai Police app.

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News Network
April 26,2020

Dubai, Apr 26: Saudi Arabia reported 1223 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 17522, the Ministry of Health announced on Sunday (April 26).

Meanwhile, the ministry reported 142 recoveries today, with total recoveries in the kingdom at 2357. There are 115 cases in intensive care.

The ministry also confirmed 3 deaths, bringing the total number of deaths in the kingdom to 139.

Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz has ordered the partial lifting of a curfew imposed due to the new coronavirus across the country while keeping a 24-hour lockdown in the holy city of Mecca, the Saudi news agency SPA reported Sunday. The partial lifting of the restriction started Sunday from 9am until 5pm and will continue until May 14, the agency added.

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