161 laid-off workers of firm among 177 back from Dubai in Chandigarh

Sanjay Bumbroo
Tribune News Service
Mohali, June 15

As many as 161 workers laid off by a company were among 177 evacuee passengers from Dubai who arrived at the Chandigarh international airport here today.

Gaganjit Singh, a resident of Moga, said since March 19, they were without work and the company in which he worked as a mechanic had laid off over 350 workers, including carpenters and mechanics. He said several companies in Dubai were on the verge of closure due to the pandemic.

‘Many Dubai firms facing closure’

Gaganjit Singh, a resident of Moga, said since March 19, they were without work and the company in which he worked as a mechanic had laid off over 350 workers. He said several companies in Dubai were on the verge of closure. He said 161 employees of their company returned on the flight on Monday and their tickets were booked by the company. He said over 200 workers were still waiting for their turn to get a flight to return home.

He said 161 employees of their company returned on the flight today and their tickets were booked by the company. He said over 200 workers were still waiting for their turn to get a flight to return home. Another passenger, Lakhbir Singh of Mansa, said the situation was bad and over 5,000 workers from Punjab had been laid off by various companies in Dubai, which were on the verge of closure due to the outbreak of Covid-19. He said though the company had been providing them board and lodging facilities along with food, they were now under mental stress as they were without work for nearly three months and did not know what to do.

Of the 177 passengers who arrived from Dubai today, 168 hailed from Punjab, two each from Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir and one from Uttarakhand.

A spokesperson for Chandigarh International Airport Limited (CHIAL) said all passengers were screened by a team of the Health Department, Punjab.