BENGALURU: On Monday night around 10 pm, about 45 Kashmiri students from Bethel Medical Mission College, on Outer Ring Road (ORR) headed to Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) after they received messages that their flight to Srinagar been cancelled as they wanted to head back home.
The government suspended all domestic flights starting midnight on Tuesday until March 31, stranding the Kashmiri students who were scheduled to fly between March 26-28. The students allege that there were two flights scheduled to leave for Kashmir on Tuesday, and officials could have made arrangements on humanitarian grounds to arrange for them to go back home.
“My friends who had booked tickets in advance for Tuesday said their flight was empty. The could have accommodated all of us on the same flight so that we could reach home. Now its all cancelled,” said Adil Rahman, a student of Bethal Medical Mission.
Another student Zahid Ahmed Malik said they waited at the airport from 9.30 pm to 1 am on Tuesday but got no help. “We did not know where to go back, but our college principal was very supportive. He sent us a college bus to bring us back and told us to stay in hostel and not to worry,” he said.
“Our parents are panicking. We do not have the resources for our daily needs. Modiji says stay home stay safe, we want to go back to our home. That’s why we booked flights paying over Rs 8,000. Now we cannot go,” Adil added.
Nasir Khuehami who is addressing distress calls of Kashmiris, speaking to TNIE from Kashmir said, “I have been getting calls about many people stranded in Delhi, Chandigarh, Bangladesh, Mangaluru, who have no place to go. The government should come forward and help them out.”
A BIAL spokesperson said all flights would be cancelled until March 31. “Passengers are requested to contact their airline for specific details.”
BIAL asks cops to ensure safety of airport employees
Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) has appealed to law enforcement agencies and residents of villages near the airport to ensure the safety of its employees. Kempegowda International Airport has about 6,000 employees. Although the airport is closed for passenger traffic from Tuesday till March 31, transport of essential commodities through cargo operations continues. Hari Marar, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, BIAL, said, “These employees perform tasks that are critical for the functioning of the Airport, including Security, Airlines, Immigration, Customs, Fire Services, Air Traffic Control and Technology support.”