US-Israel attacks on Iran: Some return to Kolkata from Gulf, worry remains for others as Middle East crisis

KOLKATA: Relief and anxiety ran parallel across the city on Wednesday as a handful of those stranded in the Gulf managed to return home, while many more continued their uncertain wait for flights out of the conflict-hit region.

Among those who arrived was Priyadarshini Hakim, daughter of minister and Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim. Priyadarshini, along with her mother, Ismat Hakim, and daughter, Aayat, had been stranded in Medina. The trio reached Kolkata early on Tuesday after securing seats on a flight from Jeddah to Mumbai. "It feels good to be back. Our flight arrived early on Tuesday. My two sisters and father were observing Roza but they came to the airport to receive us early in the morning," Priyadarshini said. The three had travelled from Medina to Mecca to Jeddah airport.

Though she booked a ticket for March 4, she advanced her departure after learning about seats being available on a Jeddah flight on Monday. "I didn't want to take a chance," Priyadarshini said.




But several Kolkatans remained stranded in Dubai, Doha and other Gulf transit hubs amid airspace disruptions. Actor Subhashree Ganguly is among those stuck in Dubai with her son, Yuvan. She was scheduled to board an early-morning flight on Thursday but until late on Wednesday, her family in Kolkata remained unsure about it. "They are currently safe in a hotel but I just want them to be back here with us. Emirates has a flight scheduled for 2 am on Thursday. Until they board it, we cannot be certain of their safe return. I am keeping my fingers crossed," said her husband Raj Chakraborty, director-MLA.

Tour operator Bamapada Gangopadhyay, who is in Dubai with a 25-member team, said the situation on the ground was calmer than the panic back home suggested. "We are in a war-torn country but we are all safe here. Structures, like Burj Khalifa, are also standing tall and have been lit up. We are also regularly in touch with our families and will get back home when it is safe," he said. Pointing out that the Emirates office had been crowded with people from across the world, seeking rebooking, Gangopadhyay said, "It is difficult to say when we can return home."

New Town resident Upasana Sinha, holidaying in Dubai and Abu Dhabi when tensions escalated, is staying at a hotel in Abu Dhabi. She has booked a flight ticket for March 8, hoping normal operations would resume by then. "We are aware of special flights but they are too difficult to get, given the rush. People camping outside airports are being given preference," she said.

Park Street resident Manisha Santaney, stranded in Dubai with her daughter, Meghna, said direct services to Kolkata had not resumed. "We are weighing our options and hoping flight movements would start later this week," she said.

India intensified evacuation efforts, scheduling around 58 special and chartered flights from corridors, such as Fujairah, Muscat and Jeddah. SpiceJet is operating eight dedicated services to Delhi, Mumbai, and Kochi, while IndiGo deployed additional relief flights, subject to clearance. No regular flight to the Middle East operated for the third consecutive day on Wednesday.