Ludhiana: A holiday trip turned into a period of anxiety for a Kidwai Nagar family after a 48-year-old textile businessman, Kapil Batra, and his 20-year-old son, Ishaan, were left stranded in Dubai due to unrest in parts of the Middle East. The father-son duo had boarded a flight to Dubai on Feb 24 for what was meant to be a week-long vacation, unaware that they would be unable to return to India on their scheduled March 1 flight, which was cancelled in the wake of the situation.
Residents of Kidwai Nagar, Kapil and Ishaan, were staying at a hotel located about 4 kilometres from Dubai airport. Kapil's younger brother, Ankit Batra, said the two realised that both the airport and an airbase were nearby when unrest began in the region. He said Kapil and Ishaan could hear and see drones in the air, and even captured the view from their hotel balcony. The most alarming moment came when a nearby hotel was attacked with a drone, following which they decided it was unsafe to remain close to the airport and the airbase.
Ankit said they were fortunate to have a cousin living in Dubai Marina, and Kapil and Ishaan managed to shift there. He added that this helped them avoid difficulties related to shortages of essentials. However, the family in Ludhiana remained worried as the situation remained uncertain and ongoing unrest continued. Ankit said he spoke to the duo on Monday and, although they were safe, they were tense.
Kapil informed the family that the UAE govt had been continuously sending messages advising people to remain indoors. However, there had been no communication from the Indian embassy or the Indian govt regarding evacuation, the family said.
Ankit said he planned to write to the Prime Minister's Office, requesting the evacuation of Indians stranded in the UAE at the earliest. He said their concern was not only for their own family members but also for other Indians who might be facing difficulties in arranging money, medicines and other necessities. He said the Indian government should begin evacuation efforts as soon as possible."
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Payal Dhawan is a Principal Correspondent, with the Times of Indi...
Read MorePayal Dhawan is a Principal Correspondent, with the Times of India in Ludhiana. She covers crime, prisons, police administration, vigilance bureau, forest & wildlife department and Congress party. Associated with the organisation since 2013, earlier she covered sports and education.
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