The Weekly Advertiser – Wednesday, April 29, 2020

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Vol. No. Vol. 2218No. 42 27

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A FREE PUBLICATION FROM YOUR LOCAL RADIO STATIONS 3WM AND MIXXFM

Wednesday, January 13, 2020 2016 Wednesday, April 29,

ON THE HUNT: Self-isolation has brought out a stroke of comedic creativity in Horsham junior clay-target shooter Bart Turgoose. Bart, 15, cannot pursue his sport due to social-distancing measures, which has driven him to turn his passion into a simulated digital adventure. Story, page 7. Picutre: PAUL CARRACHER

Rescue flight home BY SARAH MATTHEWS

H

orsham resident Minal Gupta used to find stories about international evacuations exciting – until she had to orchestrate her own.

As the coronavirus pandemic swept the globe last month, Ms Gupta found herself stranded in India, 26 weeks pregnant, wondering when – or if – she would see her husband again. While Ms Gupta felt physically safe, isolating with her family in Raipur, in central India, she was terrified COVID-19 restrictions would force her to remain in lockdown indefinitely. She booked two commercial flights,

which were both cancelled, but had an opportunity to catch a ‘rescue flight’ out of New Dehli on April 19, organised by a group of expats and aviation experts. Ms Gupta needed to travel 1250 kilometres from Raipur to Delhi – more than 24 hours by car – but faced several hurdles. Not only did she need local authorities to issue her a travel pass to cross domestic borders, she needed written assurance her brother and two drivers would be allowed to accompany her and return home safely. “In India, no-one can move from one place to another place without a permit,” Ms Gupta said.

“You can only go for two reasons – a medical emergency or if you come from another country and are travelling home, one way. “They would give me a one-way pass, but they wouldn’t allow me to come back. That is okay, except it is not safe for a woman to travel on her own in India, especially for more than 24 hours. “My mother and father were very stressed and they were not happy for me to travel by myself. “I was going to go with my brother and two drivers but the local authorities would not give them a written pass to return. I could not go, knowing they could not return home safely.”

Ms Gupta found herself in the midst of a complicated bureaucratic process, seeking permissions and battling proverbial red tape and brick walls. Ms Gupta said she registered her case on the Ministry of Tourism India website, seeking help to return to Australia. She was redirected to her state branch, Ministry of Tourism Chhattisgarh, and spoke to a representative, who ensured she was safe and had access to food. “I just wanted to go back to Australia,” Ms Gupta said. “I had already missed flights, because I couldn’t get a movement pass, but the Australian High Commission

had announced a flight out of Delhi and I really wanted to be on it. “The local person said they can’t help me, I have to contact the Ministry of External Affairs of India and they will give me a pass. “There was a lady, Effat Ara, who helped me a lot. She told me I had to contact the Australian High Commission and they would contact the Ministry of External Affairs in India. “But the Australian High Commission had a number of calls and they couldn’t help me. “They said to contact my local member of parliament in Australia to see if they might help.” Continued page 3

IN THIS ISSUE • Rain generates confidence • Kieran’s COVID-19 recovery • Monthly AgLife Phone: 03 5382 1351 Read it online: www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au

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