Amid Covid, Dubai NRG helps airlift 700 Gujaratis

AHMEDABAD: A Gujarati businessman in the UAE has so far helped more than 700 compatriots return to Gujarat during the Covid pandemic. The efforts o f Bharat Joshi, who settled in Dubai 16 years ago, have complemented the government of India's Vande Bharat programme. The programme facilitates the homecoming of Indians stranded abroad because of the pandemic.
Joshi, 44, has till date arranged four chartered flights to ferry people back to Gujarat.He and his friends - Kunjan Pansuriya, Dharamdev Thakore and Pratap Kuchhadiya - are also helping people register with Indian embassies in the UAE for Vande Bharat flights.
Using a travel agency, Joshi booked four chartered flights to Ahmedabad from the UAE. Two flights - on June 18 and 23 - brought back 175 passengers each from Ras Al Khaimah. Then flights on June 24 and 25 brought back 180 passengers each from Dubai.
NRG to send two more batches in July
The government is operating flights for stranded persons, but more flights are needed,” said Bharat Joshi. “Hundreds of passengers were waiting for bookings on Vande Bharat flights. That is why I thought of this idea.”
Joshi and his friends have been spending several hours every day coordinating with various agencies to help people return home.
Joshi hails from Chobari village of Bhachau taluka in Kutch district. He said that the plan is to send two more batches of Gujaratis back on July 3 and 6 on chartered flights. “We will need at least ten more flights to ensure that all stranded Indians in the UAE return home,” he said.
The chartered flights of SpiceJet and GoAir have been charging 900-1,150 dirhams (roughly Rs 18,500 to Rs 23,650) per passenger. The price includes the cost of Covid tests. “Barring two or three persons whose airfares we bore, others paid for themselves,” Joshi said.
Gujaratis who have returned are grateful to Joshi and his friends. “For two months, I desperately tried to get on a Vande Bharat flight,” said Nilam Patel, who returned on the June 25 flight. “When Bharatbhai and others learnt of this, they arranged my travel. I have seen them working tirelessly to get Gujaratis back home.”
Nita Thadani, who also returned on the June 25 flight, said: “Bharatbhai and his team are doing a fantastic job. They are working round the clock.”
Joshi arrived in Dubai in 2004 and began working for a salary of 1,150 dirhams (a little over Rs 23,000) a month.