Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: With the Bahrain airport not seeing any commercial flights since Feb 28, the Indian embassy there has made arrangements for stranded compatriots to return home via Saudi Arabia.“The embassy in Riyadh is obtaining individual transit visa approvals from Saudi govt. Transit visa requests are being referred by Indian embassy in Bahrain to Indian embassy in Riyadh. Priority is being given to stranded Indian nationals, especially those on tourist or short-term visas,” Vinod K Jacob, Indian ambassador to Bahrain, said.As returning via Saudi is the only viable option for Indians stranded in Bahrain as of now, those applying for Saudi transit visa must fulfil certain pre-conditions, like having a confirmed flight ticket for onward travel to India. Saudi transit visa will be valid for 72-96 hours and travellers need to leave the country within this period.Neighbouring Qatar, on the other hand, has started seeing a handful of flights, including to India, by Qatar Airways. But since they are fewer than required, exiting via Saudi remains Plan B for them and there’s a scramble to get the country’s transit visa.The Indian embassy in Doha said: “Qatar Airways operated a Doha-Delhi flight Monday on which more than 300 Indian passengers stranded in Doha travelled to India… close to 1,000 Indians stranded in Doha on transit or short-term visits have departed on Qatar Airways flights over the last three days.”Indian govt is keen to have more flights to West Asia. Civil aviation ministry will hold a meeting with airlines and other stakeholders on this issue on Tuesday.
