MALAPPURAM: Even a stone-hearted person will have tears in his eyes if he/she witnesses the situation of non-resident Keralites during the present lockdown in the Gulf region, says Moideen V, a Gulf evacuee who currently stays in a Covid care centre in Edappal. “The only option for the majority of NRKs in the Gulf is to return to Kerala as the chances of contracting the virus is high in the region,” he says.
“The people with other ailments are at high risk. Many have lost their jobs and they are even not able to pay the rent of their rooms. During these months, the temperature is above 40 degree Celsius in the Gulf. The people, who are unable to pay the rent, will be evicted from their rooms and they have to stay in the open or under the trees in their area. There have already been some such incidents in the region,” says Moideen.
The 47-year-old native of Thirunavaya returned from Dubai last Thursday. He says asking the Gulf returnees, who have lost their jobs and salaries, to pay for the quarantine facilities by the state government is hard to digest. “We have lost everything. Where else could we go during this difficult period other than to our home state? The government should not ask for payment for quarantining the evacuees.
How would people who are not even able to pay rent in the Gulf pay for the quarantine facility in Kerala?” Like many Keralites, Moideen had been running a cafeteria business in Dubai for the past 11 years. “Cafeteria business was profitable in Dubai. However, the lockdown reduced our total business to 30 per cent. Arab nationals have started eating only the food cooked in their homes, so we had to close down the shop. Six Keralites including me who had worked with the shop lost their only revenue option,” he says.
‘It’s hard to digest’ Moideen V, a Gulf evacuee, says asking the Gulf returnees, who have lost their jobs and salaries, to pay for quarantine facilities by the government is hard to digest