Chandigarh, July 15, 2020: Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara Dubai under the chairmanship of Surender Singh Kandhari and supported by volunteers of Sukhdev Singh-led Khalsa Motorcycle Club UAE have been working relentlessly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara has been distributing around 1000 free meals and around 300-400 food bags of raw food (rice, dal, milk, sugar, wheat) since March till date, with the help of Indian Consulate and volunteers.
File Photo Khaleej Times : Surinder Singh Kandhari
The Community Development Authority of Dubai and other local authorities have been supporting them in this initiative.
“We have also successfully chartered 9 flights to Chandigarh and Amritsar till date since June 2020, helping around 1750 stranded people in the UAE to reunite them back with their families,” says Kandhari.
“These are the people who are in real distressed situation having no jobs, no access to food, accommodation and can’t afford to pay for the ticket cost to go back home. There are still more people who have come forward and registered themselves at the gurdwara for the repatriation flights and we shall continue to help them,” he said.
“Words are not enough to thank the Government of Punjab, led by Captain Amarinder Singh jee, and how team of officers, the Chief Secretary Mrs Vini Mahajan, DCs of Amritsar and Mohali, Secretary Civil Aviation for expediting the sanction of flights to take our Punjabis back home,” said a grateful Kandhari.
“We have given around 150 free tickets and 50 discounted tickets, also helped many blue collared workers by paying off their immigration fines to exit the country. Around 25 Indian brethren who were imprisoned here in the UAE on criminal charges for the last 8–9 years have been released and were sent back to India today on one of the chartered flights. I am very content that they will now meet their family members after so many years of being apart,” Kandhari said.
“I would like to thank the Dubai Government for helping us with all the permissions, especially Ms. Safaa Khalaf, Director, Terminal 2 Dubai Airports, who has helped us enabling smooth and efficient operations with the chartered flights. The Punjab Government has been very cooperative and has given us timely approvals and all the assistance required for operating these flights,” he said.
“I would like to thank all the Sangat who have generously supported for this noble cause by contributing towards the meals and tickets for the needy during these difficult times. But the need is still more hence we urge the community to come forward to help us to serve the people by support and serving people and serving God,” Kandhari said.
“We are all children of One God and this COVID-19 Pandemic has taught us the value of being together and serving humans. There is no caste, religion or nationality, we are all one and we should co-exist and live together in harmony. Tolerance and Co-existence is the need of the hour,” he said.