Navy readying INA Jalashwa & 2 other warships to evacuate Indians stranded in Gulf nations

To evacuate the Indian citizens stranded in Gulf countries due to Coronavirus pandemic, the Indian Navy is readying its Landing Platform Dock warship INA Jalashwa and two Magar class amphibious warships, news agency ANI quoted government sources as saying on Wednesday. 

While the INS Jalashwa is based out of Visakhapatnam, the Magar class warships are on the western seaboard. The warships are on standby mode and would be ready to move after the orders are issued, the sources added. The 16,900-tonne INS Jalashwa, the country’s second-largest warship after aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, apart from its crew can carry around 8,00 to 1,000 people. 

Indian Navy on standby

The national carrier Air India and Indian Navy have been asked to be on standby with their aircraft and warships for the mass evacuation of Indians from Gulf countries as Covid-19 pandemic continues. "We are assessing the scenario and finding the plan to evacuate Indians from the Gulf countries. We have asked Air India and Indian Navy for the detailed evacuation plan," top government sources told ANI on Monday.

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Amid the coronavirus scare, thousands of Indian citizens have expressed willingness to come back to India from the Gulf countries, but due to suspension of air operations and other modes of travel, they have been stranded there. The China-originated Coronavirus has raged across continents, killing people and crippling economies. The oil and gas-rich Middle Eastern countries have also been affected by the deadly pathogen.

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"Around 10 million Indians are in Gulf countries and many of them are living in port cities, and that is why the government has also asked Indian Navy to give a detailed plan for evacuation through sea routes," sources said. Majority of the Indians who are stranded in the Gulf countries are labourers.

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(With agency inputs)