Bengaluru, March 3 The Karnataka government said on Tuesday that 18 of the 283 people from Karnataka stranded in conflict-affected West Asian countries returned home on Tuesday morning.
Details of all those people from the state stranded in the Gulf region have been forwarded to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Karnataka Bhavan for necessary coordination and assistance, they said.
"As of 10 am on March 3, details of the 283 stranded people from Karnataka received at the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) and the District Emergency Operations Centre (DEOC), and they were forwarded to the MEA and Karnataka Bhavan. Of these, 18 have returned this morning, while some are still en route," the office of Munish Moudgil, Relief Commissioner and Principal Secretary to the Government, Revenue Department, said in a statement.
According to calls received at the SEOC and various DEOCs, 265 people from Karnataka (excluding those who have returned) are stranded in the conflict-affected regions of the West Asian countries.
Of these, 198 people from Karnataka are stranded in the UAE, 31 in Bahrain, 14 in Qatar, 13 in Kuwait, four in Saudi Arabia, four in Iran, and one in Turkey.
Meanwhile, as many as 42 flights were cancelled at the Kempegowda International Airport here by 3 pm on Tuesday due to prevailing airspace restrictions, airport authorities said.
A total of 21 arrivals and 21 departures were affected, disrupting services on key international sectors including Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Dubai, and Doha, they said.
According to the official statement, flight operations have partially resumed from the UAE and other West Asian countries.
Passengers should check flight status with their airlines before going to the airport and rely only on official sources for updates. Passengers can reach out to the AirSewa portal (https://airsewa.gov.in/#/home) or call the MOCA helpline number 011-24604283/011-24632987 for information on flight status, it said.
The SEOC and DEOCs are regularly updating advisories issued by the MEA and Indian Embassies/Consulates in the affected countries.
The Karnataka Resident Commissioner has also activated the Karnataka Bhavan team in New Delhi for coordination, they said.
The state government has urged people from Karnataka residing in the affected West Asian countries to strictly adhere to the guidelines and advisories issued by the local governments.
They have been advised to contact the respective Indian Embassies/Consulates through helpline numbers and register on the Sarthi Sahayata portal and other official portals of the concerned Embassies/Consulates. Further, for transit visa-related matters, it is requested to contact the nearest FRRO, the statement added.
