US‑Israel attack on Iran: Puneites visiting Dubai safe, but stuck & anxious to return as Middle East crisis

PUNE: Residents of Pune visiting Dubai and stranded in the city amid shutting of the air space as unrest persists in the West Asia have expressed their desire to return soon, even as they confirmed they were safe.

A resident of NIBM Road, businessman Vinod Solanki, is stuck in Dubai with four family members — who are all secure at a hotel in the Al Jaddaf area. “I am with my wife, two children and my mother. We came to Dubai on Feb 22 and were to return to Pune from Abu Dhabi on Saturday. However, our flight got cancelled. On Sunday morning, we heard loud noises which seemed like explosions. The city looks outwardly normal and people are up and about. We just want to come back home now,” he told TOI .

Solanki said he had told his travel agent to book tickets for any city in India.

“In that way, we can at least return to our country and then reach Pune. We may not be feeling scared in Dubai right now, but are surely stressed and anxious,” he said, adding that he had heard people had been directed not to attend office on Sunday in Dubai.

Kothrud resident and businessman Ajay Bhatevara was also waiting for information at his hotel apartment near Dubai Frame. “I was to travel back with Air India to Mumbai on Sunday, but the flight was cancelled. My family back home has been calling continuously and I am in touch with them. They are worried and I am providing them with all available news. I have been speaking to some people from Pune also stuck in Dubai and we are sharing whatever we know with each other,” he told TOI .

A family of three who had travelled to Dubai on a tourist visa was also stranded. Baramati MP Supriya Sule on Sunday urged the MEA to help them return. “Our flight is scheduled for Monday. We are at our hotel and have been told that the airport is closed. We are waiting for further updates,” said Abhishek Kalantri.

Govardhan Pakhare, an Ahilyanagar resident, who has been working in Jebel Ali with an investment firm since a year, told TOI that an emergency alert was issued late on Saturday night, following reports of a drone attack near Jebel Ali airport and the Burj Al Arab — located around 15km-20km from his residence. “However, the situation looks under control now,” he said.

Four faculty members along with 80 students pursuing MBA at Indira University in Pimpri Chinchwad are also in Dubai. The students had travelled to the West Asian city for a study tour in two groups on Feb 22 and 24 as part of the university’s annual programme. They were scheduled to return in two batches on Saturday and Sunday. Faculty member Rahul Pathak, who is with the students in the Bur Dubai area, told TOI that the situation around them is normal and they are sitting put in the hotel while waiting for the air space to reopen.

Indira University president Tarita Shankar told TOI that the institute had approached the MEA seeking assistance. “We are in constant touch with the students, faculty members and the Indian govt. Since we organise the study tour to the same university in Dubai every year, we have made necessary arrangements for accommodation, food and other essentials. The students are safe and can stay comfortably until the situation normalises,” she said. The MBA students were scheduled to travel to Mumbai on an IndiGo flight from Fujairah Airport.