HYDERABAD: A man and a couple, who were among a group of 10 people repatriated from Dubai on Friday, were not allowed into a private hotel-turned-quarantine centre at Gachibowli as they could not pay Rs 15,000 being charged by the government.
Out of a job for the last four months, they were let into the hotel only after the State government agreed to foot their bills. Syed Ehtesham, a 35-year-old resident of Hyderabad, returned from Dubai on Thursday night and was taken to the hotel, a well-known brand across the country. But he and the others were asked to pay `15,000. “I lost my job in Dubai due to the lockdown there. I returned for a medical emergency. How will I have the money to pay the fee?” he told Express.
When the hotel management was informed that foreign returnees could not afford to pay the quarantine charges, they denied them accommodation. The returnees, who should have been immediately quarantined, had to wait till Friday afternoon for help.
“Officials of the Telangana Tourism department spoke to the hotel’s management on Friday, after which we were allowed entry,” Ehtesham said. The ordeal left him feeling humiliated. “Please do away with the quarantine fee. How will poor labourers pay for it? If you cannot do that, do not repatriate us,” he said.
In another incident, a man and a pregnant woman were allowed entry into their hotel room only after a good samaritan paid the fee. The issue was highlighted by Majlis Bachao Tehreek leader Amjed Ullah Khan, after which Rajendra Agarwal, a businessman, donated `30,000 for the couple.