{"id":61252,"date":"2026-03-03T19:46:51","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T14:16:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/?p=61252"},"modified":"2026-03-03T22:08:05","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T16:38:05","slug":"dr-ravjot-singh-meets-union-civil-aviation-minister-k-r-naidu-seeks-rescue-flights-for-stranded-punjabis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/punjab\/dr-ravjot-singh-meets-union-civil-aviation-minister-k-r-naidu-seeks-rescue-flights-for-stranded-punjabis\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr Ravjot Singh meets Union Civil Aviation Minister K R Naidu; Seeks rescue flights for stranded Punjabis"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Urges operation of special aircraft &amp; regulation of exorbitant airfares amid Middle East conflict<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">New Delhi:<\/span> With a significant number of Punjabis stranded amid the escalating Middle East conflict, NRI Affairs Minister Dr Ravjot Singh on Tuesday met Union Civil Aviation Minister K R Naidu and sought immediate launch of rescue flights, operation of special aircraft and a cap on \u201cexploitative\u201d airfares to ensure their safe and swift return. \u201cThere is an urgent need to resume flights and operate special evacuation services. Our people cannot be left stranded in this crisis,\u201d he asserted.<\/p>\n<p>Highlighting the hardships being faced by the Punjabi diaspora due to the ongoing conflict and regional instability in the Middle East, Dr Ravjot Singh stated, \u201cA significant portion of Punjab\u2019s population resides and works in various Middle Eastern countries. The cancellation of numerous scheduled flights has left many of our NRI brothers and sisters stranded, while their families back home are in deep distress.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He urged the Union Minister to coordinate with airlines to restore operations on all safe corridors and operate special aircraft to clear the backlog of passengers. \u201cMany essential routes have been suspended, creating a massive backlog of travellers. There is an urgent need to resume flights and operate special evacuation or relief flights for those stuck in high tension zones or those needing to return home for emergencies,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Raising the issue of rising ticket prices, Dr Ravjot Singh added, \u201cIt has been observed that due to the reduced frequency of flights, several airlines have increased their fares to exploitative levels. I request you to implement a price cap on these routes to prevent the financial exploitation of citizens during this crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to the media after the meeting, the Punjab minister revealed that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann also had a telephonic conversation with K R Naidu during the meeting and urged that the state government be allowed to arrange special flights to bring Punjabis back home safely without delay. \u201cThe Chief Minister has conveyed deep concern over the situation and requested that Punjab be permitted to arrange special flights, if required, to ensure the safe evacuation of our people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Dr Ravjot Singh further stated that the Union Civil Aviation Minister has assured that the concerns raised by the Punjab Government will be considered on priority. \u201cThe Union Government is already working on the matter as Indian citizens from several states are stranded in Gulf countries,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>The NRI Affairs Minister also visited the facilitation centre set up by the Punjab Government at IGI Airport to ensure all necessary assistance for Punjabis returning from Gulf countries.<\/p>\n<p>The minister shared, \u201cThe Punjab Government has already announced a 24&#215;7 helpline to assist stranded Punjabis. Families can call 0172 2260042, 0172 2260043 or send a WhatsApp message to +91 94787 79112 for immediate support. A high level team headed by ADGP R K Jaiswal has also been constituted to monitor the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He asserted that the state government is making every possible effort to ensure the safe return of Punjabis. \u201cUnder the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, we are fully committed to extending every support to our people in this hour of crisis,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier in the day, Dr Ravjot Singh convened a video conference with Deputy Commissioners of all districts across Punjab and directed them to prominently display district level helpline numbers to assist Punjabis stranded abroad. \u201cAll inquiries received at the district level regarding stranded Punjabis must be handled with utmost responsibility, diligence and sincerity to ensure timely and effective support,\u201d he directed.<\/p>\n<p>Principal Resident Commissioner, Punjab Bhawan, New Delhi, Dr S Karuna Raju was also present during the meeting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Urges operation of special aircraft &amp; regulation of exorbitant airfares amid Middle East conflict New Delhi: With a significant number of Punjabis stranded amid the escalating Middle East conflict, NRI Affairs Minister Dr Ravjot Singh on Tuesday met Union Civil Aviation Minister K R Naidu and sought immediate launch of rescue flights, operation of special [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":61253,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,37,21,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-61252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest","category-national","category-political-news","category-punjab"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Dr Ravjot Singh meets Union Civil Aviation Minister K R Naidu; Seeks rescue flights for stranded Punjabis - PunjabENews<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/punjab\/dr-ravjot-singh-meets-union-civil-aviation-minister-k-r-naidu-seeks-rescue-flights-for-stranded-punjabis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dr Ravjot Singh meets Union Civil Aviation Minister K R Naidu; 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