KSA: ‘Expertise’ seeks PM Modi’s permission to fly back India expats on chartered flights
Saudi Arabia based leading company, Expertise Contracting Co. which mainly has workforce that belongs to Karnataka has sought permission from PM Narendra Modi to land chartered flights at Bengaluru/Mangaluru International Airports. The company said it will carry Indian expatriates working for the company who are stranded in Saudi Arabia on chartered flights. It added that at least 500 of its workmen are stranded in the Kingdom due to the lockdown and suspension of flights between the two countries amidst growing number of cases of Corona Virus.
In a letter written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Joint Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, the company has added that the it is looking forward to send 500 of its employees back to the country adding that at least 250 of them need to visit India on emergencies on various grounds viz., to get medical assistance for protracted illness like diabetes, hypertension etc.; to attend to ailing parents/ family members on emergency; to attend to pressing legal matters etc.
It also added that another 250 people who according to the company’s norms were to be demobilized by the end of April month were also stranded in the kingdom.
“Due to our nature of business we need to hire workers on short term visit visas as well, during the early part of each year mainly from India. We usually demobilize them by the month of April every year since after April the summer months set in and business becomes dull. So keeping these workmen further does not work out to be economical at all.
“We wish to bring to your attention that because of the ongoing flight disruption between the two nation’s viz., India and Saudi Arabia that commenced suddenly due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we have not been able to demobilize our workmen on visit visas. They are nearly 250 in numbers” the letter added.
The letter further confirmed that the Saudi government had assured assistance to the company by providing charter flights and that it would require permission from the Indian government to land these flights at Bengaluru/Mangaluru Airports.
The letter assured the Indian authorities that the company will ensure that all workmen will carry with them Health Certificates from authorized medical centres that would testify them as COVID-19 negative, adding that the certificates shall be generated not earlier than 48 hours before the date of boarding. It also added that all workmen shall wear gloves, masks and shall carry hand sanitizers while travelling.
The company also assured that the workmen will be quarantined by them in India as per the Indian government norms in areas that shall be identified beforehand and that the company will bear necessary expenses.
“We sincerely request you to look into this and grant the necessary permission at the earliest since most of these workmen are getting jittery day by day and situation is likely to get out of control very soon. We look forward to receiving your favorable response on above at the earliest. Undersigned will be the focal point for further communication on this” the letter added.
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Bajrang Punia handed provisional suspension, WFI to approach WADA after NADA keeps it in 'dark'
‘Never refused to give my sample’: Bajrang Punia responds after NADA suspends him
New Delhi, May 5: Bajrang Punia has been handed provisional suspension for refusing to give his sample for dope test during recent trials and the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is furious that NADA kept it "in dark" on the development and is planning to write to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on the matter.
Bajrang was handed provisional suspension on April 23 by National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) and asked to send his reply by May 7 to avoid further disciplinary action.
The trials to pick the men's national team for the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Bishkek were held in Sonepat on March 10 and Bajrang had walked off the venue without providing his urine sample after losing his bout.
Reacting to his suspension, Bajrang said he never refused to provide his sample to NADA officials.
"I want to clarify that I never refused to give my sample to NADA officials. I requested them to first answer me as to what action they took on the expired kit they brought to take my sample and then take my dope test," Bajrang wrote on X.
"My lawyer Vidush Singhania will reply to this letter," he wrote further.
The Tokyo Games bronze medallist also posted a video in which he displayed "expired kits" being sent for sample collection and asked the official why such kits were brought.
The video is from the time a dope sample collecting officer visited him to take samples. In the video, Bajrang said he was fortunate to have a team that noticed the expiry date and what would have innocent junior wrestlers done in case such kits reach them.
He also alleged that former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was using such kits to scare women wrestlers who had the guts to come out in the open against him.
"I am not blaming you. This is work of the big crocodiles sitting above. Money talks in these matter," he was heard telling the officer in the video.
If Bajrang fails to come out clean with his reply, he will be out of the race for Paris Olympic Qualification.
According to the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) Code, "Refusing, or failing without compelling justification, to submit to sample collection after notification as authorized in applicable anti-doping rules or otherwise evading sample collection is an anti-doping rule violation."
Meanwhile WFI President Sanjay Singh expressed his surprise that NADA did not inform them about the suspension.
"It's really surprising that NADA did not keep us in loop while suspending Bajrang. I had a meeting with NADA DG and other officials on April 25 and this matter was not raised in that meeting," Sanjay told PTI.
"They keep communicating with us on matters such as whereabout clause requirements, long list (for Paris Olympics) and so on. Even we had a discussion about the recent Federation Cup, where they sent officials to collect samples from the winners.
"But they did not let us know about this suspension of Bajrang Punia. I called NADA officials this morning and they had no answer to my query. Now, I plan to write to NADA and also inform WADA about this," he said.
It was reported that Vinesh Phogat had also initially refused to provide her sample after she won the women's 50kg trials in Patiala.
"We were not informed by anyone whose samples were taken after trials (in Sonepat and Patiala) and what came out of those samples. Just imagine if Bajrang had come to compete in the Federation Cup. We would have allowed him because we had no clue that he had been suspended," the WFI chief added.
Meanwhile, Bhupender Singh Bajwa, who was the head of the dissolved ad-hoc panel, told PTI they also have no communication regarding the suspension of Bajrang.
"I have got the mail checked. We have no such communication. We got a mail on April 18 about a warning to Bajrang but the April 23 communication is not with us. I don't know to which email ID they sent it," Bajwa said.
The World Qualifiers in Turkey from May 9 is the last chance for Indian wrestlers to lock quotas for the Paris Olympics. Sujeet Kalkal will represent India in the men's freestyle 65kg class, a category in which Bajrang competes.
If Sujeet wins the quota, the WFI may ask him and other quota winners to appear in one final trial to decide who represents India in the Paris Games, starting July 26.
So far, four Indian women wrestlers -- Vinesh Phogat (50kg), Antim Panghal (53kg), Anshu Malik (57kg) and Reetika Hooda (76kg) -- have qualified for the Olympics.
मेरे बारे में जो डोप टेस्ट के लिए ख़बर आ रही है उसके लिये मैं स्पष्ट करना चाहता हूँ !!! मैंने कभी भी नाडा अधिकारियों को sample देने से इनकार नहीं किया, मैंने उनसे अनुरोध किया कि वे मुझे जवाब दें कि उन्होंने पहले मेरा sample लेने के लिए जो एक्सपायरी किट लाई थी, उस पर उन्होंने क्या… pic.twitter.com/aU676ADyy3
— Bajrang Punia 🇮🇳 (@BajrangPunia) May 5, 2024
