NRIs who missed Eid prayers stage protest after Dubai-Mangaluru flight diverted to Kochi

coastaldigest.com news network
June 16, 2018

Mangaluru, Jun 16: Dozens of Mangalurean passengers on board Air India Express (AIE) 814 Dubai-Mangaluru flight resorted to protest at Cochin International Airport (CIA) where they were taken yesterday morning due to bad weather in the coastal city.

The flight that was supposed to land at the Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) at 4.45am. Most of the passengers were Muslims who had planned to offer Eid-ul-Fitr prayers in Mangaluru and celebrated the festival with their family members on Friday. Congregational Eid prayers will be offered in mosques and Eidgahs of Mangaluru between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.

However, to the disappointment of the passengers, the flight landed at CIA at around 5.55 am. Even as the AIE staff was making arrangements to take the flight back to Mangaluru, a section of passengers became furious and questioned the authorities of the diversion and delay. They also held protest and shouted slogan against the authorities inside the airport. Though the AIE authorities offered breakfast and other facilities inside the airport, passengers continued their protest near the runway.

The passengers alleged the ground unit, powering the air-conditioning system of aircraft, was switched off making it very difficult for them to sit inside the flight. However, the AIE authorities denied this allegation.

“They told us the flight will be takeoff from Kochi within one hour after another captain arrives. In the meantime, the air conditioning inside the flight was switched off. After the protest, we were made to wait at the runway area in buses,” a passenger was quoted as saying by a news channel.

According to AIE Chief of Airport Services Aby George, the flight was diverted since it was raining heavily in Mangaluru and the visibility was very poor. “We could not land the flight in MIA and the commander diverted it to CIA. We are operating in regulated conditions of DGCA. Once the flight landed in CIA, the weather did not improve and by then the duty hours of the crew on board was over. We cannot make that commander to operate the flight again as per rules. So we had to bring another set of crew from Thiruvananthapuram,” he said.

“We told the passengers that we are planning 9.30am departure. Though we tried to convince the passengers about the bad weather, they protested,” he complained.

Comments

Kumar
 - 
Saturday, 16 Jun 2018

Flights are always like that. They should give compensation

Yogesh
 - 
Saturday, 16 Jun 2018

Unwanted issue. THey used to offer namz evreywhere. If they want they can do that in that situation also. Simply messing up authorities

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News Network
March 23,2020

Kasaragod, Mar 23: The district administration on Monday decided to abandon efforts to map out the movement details of the NRI who came from Dubai recently and came into contact with many in North Kerala.

The district has been completely locked down since Monday morning, on the directive of the Central Government. Prohibitory orders have been slapped in the district since Sunday night to restrict socialisation of the people.

As the person now in isolation have allegedly been non-cooperative, the authorities were finding it difficult to sketch out a rote map as his movement and socialisation has been so vast and wide since his arrival here on March 12.

The middle aged and popular NRI who landed at Karipur airpprt on March 11 had been in Calicut till midnight prior to boarding the Maveli Express to make it to his hometown Kasaragod, which is 160 kms away from Calicut. He had come into contact with very many, including two MLAs of the district, prior to getting tested positive and getting isolated in the hospital.

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Shodhan Prasad
May 14,2020

Dubai: The father of a 16-year old girl who came on a visit visa to the UAE to visit him is desperate for help as she has been hospitalised, even as he has been rendered jobless.

On February 6, Amber D’Couto flew into Dubai from Mangaluru, India, along with her older sister, Alison, 19. The girls wanted to visit their dad Vivian D’Couto who was working in an automobile company at Jebel Ali.

The father was overjoyed to meet his girls until things took an ugly turn.

Two months into her stay, Amber fell seriously ill, even as D’Couto was served a termination letter by his company.

D’Couto said his daughter, a Grade 10 student, was perfectly healthly but suddenly developed high fever and began vomiting. She was rushed to a private hospital in Qusais which could not accommodate her because of the ongoing COVID-19 situation.

On April 30, she was admitted to another private hospital in the same area. After testing negative for COVID-19 thrice, she was diagnosed with acute pancreatis and Rheumatoid fever.

While the girl remains in hospital, the bill has spiralled to over Dh50,000, D’Couto said, adding that without a job now, he had no means to pay the huge amount.

“Amber is a very sweet child and a very bright student. She was living a very healthy life prior to coming to Dubai. But she is so ill now and under round-the-clock vigil in the ICU. The treatment for her condition is very specific and costly.”

A worried man, he said: “My daughter was on a visit visa and she had no insurance. We appeal to compassionate people to help us out in this difficult hour. Due to the current situation, I have lost my job and I am unable to pay for her medical expenses. Her condition has not stabilised yet and I am taking each day as it comes. I trust the doctors to help her recover, and we hope to be repatriated to India at the earliest so she can get further medical care.”

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coastaldigest.com web desk
June 21,2020

Bengaluru, June 21: Three youngsters lost their lives when an alleged wheeling stunt turned near Jakkur flyover in the city today morning. 

The deceased have been identified as Mohammed Hadi, Ahmed Khan and Syed Riaz, all residents of Nagavara Govindapura.

The tragedy took place at around 6:30 a.m. While two among them died on the spot, the third one breathed his last at a hospital, soruces said.

Yelahanka traffic police have registered a case in this regard. 

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