Siliguri, 20th August: 83 people who were stranded in Dubai for the past several months due to the ongoing pandemic, returned to their homeland on Thursday.
Reportedly, many companies in Dubai laid off several employees amid the pandemic. As a result, several Indians lost their jobs. Furthermore, they were not being able to return home due to the nation-wide lockdown imposed in view of the pandemic.
Out of the returnees, some are residents of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and the adjoining areas of Siliguri.
While several stranded Indians were brought back to the country in phases, the said 83 people who were stranded in Dubai reached Kolkata on a special flight yesterday. And left for Siliguri by bus on Wednesday night and reached Siliguri Junction, this morning.
The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) then arranged special vehicles for all 83 people and sent them to their respective native villages. They have been advised to stay at home quarantine for the next 14 days.
After returning to Siliguri, they confronted the media and highlighted the situation in Dubai. They also thanked the administrative officials for initiating the process to help them return home.