Over 50 Indians have been stranded at the Dubai International Airport for non-compliance with entry requirements for tourist visa holders, a media report said on Thursday.
According to the Khaleej Times report, the Indian nations have been stranded since 9 p.m. on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, it was reported that visit visa holders from other countries, including 304 Pakistani nationals were stranded at the airport, also for non-compliance with entry regulations. Many of the Indian passengers arrived on GoAir flights from Kannur, Kerala, and Mumbai, according to travel agencts.
Neeraj Agarwal, Consul Press, Information, and Culture at the Consulate General of India in Dubai, said that there were 57 stranded nationals in total.
"The consulate was notified of their status through our helpline. Our sources say 14 were allowed entry into Dubai. However, the remaining have been stuck there since last night," he said.
Consulate staff have come forward to extend their support to the stranded passengers, and will provide them with food, water and other amenities if required, said the official.
"We fully respect the local immigration laws and these rules have been in place for a long time. However, the passengers should've ideally been given notification before boarding the flights. To my knowledge, these rules were not strictly enforced.
"If there is a certain policy change, passengers should have ideally been given a two-day notification," the Khaleej Times quoted Agarwal as saying. Meanwhile, many of the passengers said they had not had any access to food and water.
Amal Dev, one such stranded passenger who arrived on the GoAir flight from Kannur International Airport at 9 pm, said: "This is my third visit to Dubai. I just completed a merchant navy course and my cousin found me a job in a yacht as a cadet in Dubai. I was hoping to get here and shift to an employment visa."
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"Immigration authorities asked me if I had 2,000 dirhams and a hotel reservation with me, to which I replied no. Along with 27 other Malayalee passengers, my cousin and I were transferred to Terminal 3 where we have been stranded since last night."
Another passenger who sent a video recording to Khaleej Times said: "We have all the necessary documents, and we underwent the Covid-19 tests which were negative. We want a solution to this issue."
Source Ians