By BULA DEVI
New Delhi :Over 3500 Bangladeshis who were stranded in India post COVIT 19 lockdown have been evacuated by air in three phases, according to the Bangladesh High Commission in India.
They were in India for different work purposes including medical treatment and were stuck in Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru.
The three phases of evacuation by air were staggered over past three weeks. Third phase of return concluded on May 14 when as many as 482 Bangladeshis were evacuated by special flights of three different airlines.
Of this, as many as 149 Bangladeshis returned home from Delhi by a special flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines and 165 from Chennai by US-Bangla Airlines. From Chennai, another 168 Bangladeshis returned by an Air India flight.
The Bangladesh government has been closely working with the Indian government in its endeavour to evacuate its citizens. With the help of the Indian Government, the whole process of this exercise began on April 20, according to the High Commission.
Many Bangladeshis have returned home by road also. In the past two weeks, about 500 Bangladeshis from Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Karnataka have either gone back to the country or on their way.
It is quite likely that not all Bangladeshis have managed to return home and it is presumed that many are still stranded in different parts of India. The High Commission has appealed to the stranded people to approach the Commission with details.
The Bangladesh High Commission has emphasised that those who wish to return home should be COVIT 19 free. It has also underlined that on return to Bangladesh, all travellers will have to go through medical tests and follow the mandated 14 days quarantine.
