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Mangaluru, Jun 19: A repatriation flight from Doha brought 178 passengers to Mangaluru today. This is the first flight operated from Qatar to Mangaluru under the Vande Bharat Mission. 

The Air India Express flight, which took off from Hamad International Airport in Doha at 12 noon (Qatar time) landed at Mangaluru International Airport around 6.30 pm IST.

Indian embassy had prepared the list of passengers to be flown in the flight. Stranded people who were in need of emergency repatriation such as pregnant women, senior citizens and those in need of emergency medical treatment were given priority while finalising the list of passengers. 

Kannadiga organisations in Qatar such as Karnataka Sangha, Tulu Kuta Qatar, Karnataka Muslim Welfare Association, Mangalore Cricket Club, Bunts Qatar, Mangalore Cultural Association, South Canara Muslim Welfare Association, Qatar Billawas had been striving for the repatriation of stranded Kannadigas by exerting pressure on the elected representatives to operate flights. 

Kannadigas in Qatar have thanked former Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Jayaprakash Hegde for persuading the authorities concerned to facilitate the repatriation. 

Bengaluru, May 11: As many as 343 Indians returned to Bengaluru from London by a special Air India flight on the fifth day of 'Vande Bharat Mission' on Monday. They arrived at the Kempegowda international airport at 4.40 am.

All passengers were found to be asymptomatic on arrival except one 27-year-old woman who had had an incomplete abortion and had vomiting on arrival. She has been shifted to KC General Hospital in Malleshwaram.

Dr Prabhu Dev Gowda, an officer on duty for COVID-19 screening at Kempegowda International Airport, said, "A 27-year-old woman has had an incomplete abortion of her three-month-old foetus before taking the flight from London. She was vomiting on arrival. She was shifted to Aster CMI Hospital for emergency care.”

“Thereafter, she and her husband were shifted to KC General Hospital in Malleshwaram. They will be in isolation there. Since there is nobody to look after her, we have to let the husband accompany her to the hospital where they will be in quarantine."

The patient was famished and was provided a few idlis on arrival, he added.

After she recovers at the hospital, the couple will be shifted to a hotel. As per protocol, their throat swabs were taken for COVID-19 testing too. All passengers whether symptomatic or not are being tested for COVID-19.

Dr Manjula Devi, District Health Officer, Bengaluru Rural district said that all passengers were found to be asymptomatic on arrival except this woman who is being treated as a non-COVID-19 emergency.

Ajith Rai, Devanahalli Tehsildar told DH, "All passengers have chosen to go to hotels over government hostels. We're yet to tabulate how many have chosen budget hotels, three-star and five-star hotels. Twenty of them are still here. The process is on."

Mangaluru, June 24: Congress leader Ivan D’Souza has vowed to serve the poor and practice as a lawyer in the city, as he completed six years of tenure as a member of Karnataka legislative council on June 23. 

Expressing satisfaction about his work as an MLC, he said: “I’m one among the three MLCs who have 100% attendance in the council. Meanwhile, I’m the only council member to utilise the privilege of raising five questions in each session. I brought several major issues to the government through the questions and succeeded in finding solutions to the problems of people.”

“During my six years of tenure as a council member, I could bring sanctions to the tune of Rs 46 crore through various departments. Meanwhile, financial aid to the tune of Rs 13.24 crore has been distributed through Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to nearly 1,600 beneficiaries. I will continue to serve the poor on my own as an individual. For this, I have set up an office in the premises of my house,” Ivan said, adding that he has distributed grocery kits and other essential items to over 18,000 families during the lockdown period.

“I have successfully fulfilled my duties as the chief whip of the government in the council and also as the parliamentary secretary to revenue department in Siddaramaiah and H D Kumaraswamy governments, respectively,” he said. 

Ivan said his office in the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) building will be handed over to JD(S) MLC S L Boje Gowda. “My doors are always open for the people. I will strive to build the party in the state,” he added.