Nine Dubai-returned youths struggle to get passports back

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, September 10

A bunch of nine youths who returned from Dubai to their native places in Jalandhar, more than a month ago, are a worried lot as they are yet to get their passports back. Their passports were collected by the authorities at the Mohali Airport.

A resident of Lohara village on Nakodar Road here, Manpreet Singh said it was not just him but also the eight other youths from Jalandhar (who returned in the same flight) who were made to run from pillar to post to get their passport back. He said, “We landed at the Mohali Airport on August 6. Our passports were collected by the Mohali administration and we were sent to institutional quarantine. The flight had youths from other districts, including Amritsar and Gurdaspur, besides those from Jalandhar. We were told that our passports would reach our respective districts.”

Manpreet said upon completing the quarantine, he checked for his passport from the Mohali DC office and was given the contact number of an officer from the Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar. “When I contacted this officer, I was told that my passport had not been dispatched from Mohali. When I called back again in Mohali, I was asked to dial a travel helpline number. The person on this number also failed to trace my passport, which made us more anxious,” he said.

Manpreet said he contacted other youths in the same flight who were known to him to check as to where they got the passport. “To my surprise, none of those eight youth I knew had got their passports back. I might have to go back anytime. We all had returned as we had been temporarily relieved. The employers of three other youths are also asking them to report back. My employer too can call me back anytime and I would have to leave immediately,” he said.

The other youths who have not got their passport include Harvinder Singh from Bir Bansian village in Phillaur, Karnail Singh from Dhesian in Phillaur, Kamaljit Singh from Jamsher Khas, Arashdeep Singh from Sunner Kalan village, Sonu from Nagajja village, Santokh Singh from Pandori Mushakatan, Jatinder Kumar from Cheema Khurd and Amarjit from Bhandal Himmat in Nurmahal.

Mohali Deputy Commissioner Girish Dayalan said, “Though we dispatch all passports to the officers of the respective districts, the passports of these youth, too, should have been delivered in Jalandhar. I will look into the matter.”

Video of 2 Punjab men begging on Dubai streets goes viral
CM Capt Amarinder Singh intervened after a Pak youth highlights their plight

Phagwara: After a video of two youths from Punjab begging in Dubai streets went viral, CM Capt Amarinder Singh tweeted to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and UAE Ambassador Dr Ahmed Al Banna, asking them to intervene in the matter. He has sought intervention of authorities so that both the men could return home. The two youths have been identified as Gurdeep from Qadian in Gurdaspur and Charanjit of Phagwara. The video was shot by a youth from Pakistan. His mother told the media that his son had gone to Dubai two years back, while his wife and children stayed back in Punjab. She said, “Charanjit sent money to us for the first six months but we had lost communication with him for the past 1.5 years. He used to call us from unknown numbers but never mentioned about his condition. I thank the Pakistani guy who highlighted his plight and made this video viral.” She said, “It is extremely painful for me to see my son begging in a foreign country. I could not recognise him at first glance. He seemed to be so weak. I never wanted him to go to Dubai. He took a loan himself and left. I do not even know the status of his loans. In this age as well, I have been working for MGNREGA to feed his family. I would have taken care of my son too. I just want him back at the earliest.” TNS