Riyadh: NRI from Bhatkal in coma for 9 months; hospital bill 5 lakh riyals

[email protected] (CD Network)
January 20, 2017

Bhatkal, Jan 20: A Kannadiga expatriate working with a courier company in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been lying comatose in the Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Hospital, Riyadh for nine months following a road accident, even as his family's efforts to bring him back to India have been stymied by the bill for treatment of about 5 lakh Saudi riyals.

1bhatkalMakde Abubakar, 40, from Shirur, near Bhatkal in Uttara Kannada district, was hit by a speeding car while crossing the road. He was rushed to hospital and the driver fled the scene.

Since then, Abubakar has been speechless. His wife and four children, all less than 16 years, have been waiting patiently. "We have tried everything. We have to pay a huge sum of money to get him back but and we just don't have that kind of money.

His eldest son is with me in Bhatkal, my daughter keeps visiting me in anticipation of good news but I'm helpless," Abubakar's father-in-law Muhammed Ali said.

The family has been in constant touch with the Bhatkal Muslim Jamat in Riyadh, whose efforts too have been futile.

"Abubakar's sponsor was not in Riyadh when the accident happened and in Saudi Arabia, all documents of migrant workers need the sponsor's signature. In his absence, the hospital admitted him and Abu's relatives didn't understand the process," Dr Zaheer Kola, general secretary, Bhatkal Jamat, said.

He said the first three months passed with the family praying for his recovery. "Later, when they wanted to move him to India, the hospital said they had to clear bills of about 3.5 lakh riyals which they couldn't afford to pay. Now, the bill has gone up to about 5 lakh riyals," he said, adding that the hospital is just following its rules.

The Jamat gave representations to the Indian embassy . "While it received our file, there has been no action. The official first told us he would move the file on priority but even after 15 days, there's still no response," Kola said.

As a last resort, the family has got in touch with minister of external affairs Sushma Swaraj, who has promised the family the MEA would intervene and sought details of Abubakar to be provided to the embassy in Saudi. She tweeted: `Pl ensure that he gets good treatment in the hospital' and tagged the Indian embassy in Riyadh.

With Thursday being a half-day and Friday and Saturday holidays, the Jamat will resubmit Abubakar's file to the embassy on Sunday . "We hope they let him come back," Ali said.

Comments

Muhibullah Sheikji
 - 
Sunday, 22 Jan 2017

This is really a sad news. Let us pray and hope that Allah will bless Janab Abubaker and his family. Let us pray with Allah to get all the issues solved and he be shifted to his family soon. May Allah bless Janab Abubaker with recovery and good heath.... aameen

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News Network
April 13,2020

Kundapur, Apr 13: The city police, burdened with the enforcement of COVID-19 lockdown decided to undertake door delivery of essential items to ensure people remained indoor, official sources said here on Monday.

According to them, the police would be delivering items to the houses in Kumdapur, Byndoor, Gongolli, Shankara Narayana, Kundapur Rural, Kota and Amavasebail.

The police will start spreading awareness with this regard for three days starting from today (April 13).

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News Network
May 15,2020

Bengaluru, May 15: With lockdown-3 coming to an end in a couple of days, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday expressed confidence about the Centre announcing relaxation to "many things" after May 17.

"After May 17, the government of India is going to relax so many things, let us wait for it," he said in response to a question from reporters here. "According to me they (centre) will relax everything.... maybe for things like five-star hotels and others they may not give permission for the time being, but for other things they are going to give permission. Let's wait and see."

The nationwide lockdown was initially imposed from March 25 to April 14, then extended to May 3 and again to May 17 to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Karnataka Tourism Minister C T Ravi on Wednesday had hinted at the state government permitting the opening of gyms, fitness centres and golf courses, also certain hotels for local tourism purpose after May 17, when the third phase of the COVID-19 induced lockdown comes to an end.

The Muzrai department (in charge of the administration of temples) was also planning to have a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in place, that needs to be followed at temples once they are opened for the public, officials have said. They said the opening of temples for the public is however subject to the MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) guidelines.

During the recent video conferencing Prime Minister Narendra Modi had with Chief Ministers of various states, Yediyurappa had proposed doing away with district wise colour-coding and instead advocated strict cordoning of containment zones to control the spread of the pandemic.

He had pitched for resuming all economic activities in stand-alone establishments while continuing the restrictions on malls, cinema halls, dining facilities and establishments with centrally controlled air-conditioning. The CM had suggested that 50 to 100 meters around known clusters be declared as containment zones and commercial activities, including public transport, to be allowed in non- containment zones.

Comments

MR
 - 
Sunday, 17 May 2020

Please don't go out until May 31st.

Remember the Politicians and their famiies will stay inside  until May 31'st to protect their families.

If you go out and fall sick your whole family will suffer. So be smart and stay home.

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Media Release
March 12,2020

Manipal, Mar 12: Team WGSHA is proud to announce that the culinary museum in WGSHA has been listed in Limca Book of Records as India's First Living Culinary Arts Museum.

Limca Book of Records (LBR) is a catalogue of achievements made by Indians, at home and abroad in diverse fields of human endeavour. LBR is a celebration of exemplary exploits and recognizes accomplishments such as firsts, inventions, discoveries, honours, awards and the truly extraordinary.

Chef Thirugnanasambantham, Principal of WGSHA, while thanking MAHE and ITC Leadership for extending all support towards instituting this museum in Manipal and WGSHA, also appreciated and thanked all those who have directly or indirectly helped towards setting up this museum in Manipal.

"The process for WGSHA's culinary museum to make an entry into the popular Limca Book of Records started almost six months back and after validation by LBR recently, has been listed in the book of records. We are glad that we could be the first of its kind in such endeavour and we also hope to be in Guinness World Records soon", said Chef Thiru.

"We are indeed grateful to Michelin-starred Indian celebrity Chef Vikas Khanna, the founder and curator of this museum, who had this idea of establishing a culinary museum and donated thousands of kitchen tools and equipment worth millions of dollars to this museum for preserving the history of India's rich tradition of culinary arts and to educate the future generations. Chef Vikas Khanna, 'Distinguished Alumnus' of WGSHA, being very desirous of making such a museum in India, what better place it would be than in his own Alma Mater!", he said on the background of having the museum.

Chef Thiru mentioned that Udupi, popular for the famous 'Udupi Cuisine', and being a temple town, is adjacent to International University Town of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE).

MAHE is home to thousands of international students and visitors. With a great heritage of Udupi, combined with the large number of Indian and International students residing in and around Manipal, it was very apt for the college to create a museum for today's Indian youth and the International visitors to understand the rich culinary heritage of India, through the priceless kitchen tools and equipment donated by Chef Vikas Khanna.

"Has placed WGSHA in the global culinary map and we are proud to have joined all such efforts to preserve the history of cuisines and cultures across the world", said Chef Thiru.

The culinary art academic block housing the museum was opened in April 2018, spread approximately over 25,000 sq ft and is shaped in the form of a giant pot very similar to the ones found in Harappa.

There are historical as well as regular household items such as plates made by the Portuguese in India, a 100-year-old ladle used to dole out food at temples and bowls dating to the Harappan era, an old seed sprinkler, an ancient Kashmiri tea brewer known as 'samovar', vessels from the Konkan, Udupi and Chettinad regions, apart from a large collection of rolling pins, utensils of all shapes and sizes, tea strainers of different types etc.

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