Uprooted tree blocks NH 73 between Mangaluru and Chikamagaluru

Bengaluru, Jul 13: In an attempt to avoid the ugly scene of migrant workers walking to their native places due to the current week-long lockdown imposed in the state, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is running 1,600 additional buses on Monday and Tuesday to help them return safely.

The KSRTC has already run 249 additional buses from the State capital and has so far ferried 6,641 passengers and 231 buses have been booked.

The KSRTC appealed to the public not to panic as additional buses have been deployed. "After ensuring social distance and conducting thermal screening, passengers will be allowed to travel. It has already been planned to operate additional buses," the corporation stated in a press release here.

More than 500 flights are expected to be operated in the fourth phase of Vande Bharat Mission, the “paid evacuation” mission of the government of India during covid-19 crisis.

This includes both Air India and private carriers who are ramping up their operations in a big way. 

Air India will be operating 170 flights till 15th of July to and from 17 countries, including Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Canada, Germany, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Philippines.

Private airlines such as IndiGo and GoAir will have significant participation in the fourth phase of Vande Bharat Mission. 

The Civil Aviation Ministry said that among others, Indigo will operate 238 flights from Qatar and 219 flights from Kuwait. GoAir will operate 41 flights from Kuwait. Phase Four will particularly focus on countries where there still are a large number of Indians who have registered to return.

Meanwhile, a record five lakh stranded Indians have returned safely to India under the Mission till now. The operations commenced on 7th May and in less than two months, nearly five lakh four thousand stranded Indians from 137 countries have returned to their homes.

Mangaluru, Feb 9: A youth, native of Dakshina Kannada, was kidnapped and later robbed and then abandoned by a group of criminals, after he landed at the Karipur International Airport in Kerala early on Sunday morning.

In a complaint filed with the Kondotty police, the victim identified as Abdul Nazar Shamsad, said he was kidnapped while he was travelling in a shared auto from the airport to Calicut town. The kidnappers took him to an unknown destination where they tortured him.

Shamshad was reportedly subjected to physical assault and was asked to hand over the gold that he carried with him. It is learnt that the kidnappers had mistaken the youth for a gold smuggler and tortured him in order to get hold of the smuggled gold. They also stole his money and documents before abandoning him.