Stranded, despite nod from government

Following the suspension of international flights, the government recently permitted their resumption, but due to the soaring demand for tickets and the limited frequency of flights, many expatriate workers, especially those based in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, are in danger of losing their jobs if they cannot travel on time. We are dismayed to learn from a recent report in this daily that a syndicate of travel agents and a section of officials of Biman Bangladesh Airlines are cashing in on this crisis and taking money from the workers in return for confirming their tickets. Some agencies are working on social media as well to avoid detection. 

Despite Biman's claim—that tickets are only reissued to those who have return tickets for flights to KSA, and the service can be availed free of cost from Biman's sales centres as no other agency was given permission to reissue Biman tickets—the migrants who fell victim to this trap claimed they had to pay somewhere from Tk 25,000 to Tk 40,000 to officials of respective airlines to have their return tickets reissued. If our national carrier is confident about its own claim, then who are these middlemen meddling to make a quick buck?

Though it is reassuring to know that the Saudi government has extended the validity of visas till October 30, given the fact that around 55,000 Bangladeshi expatriates returned from KSA amidst the pandemic, if we are to send our migrant workers back by the revised deadline, we must realise that time is of the essence. And if they have to fall victim to such corruption where they need to pay "additional" amounts despite the tightening noose on their income, it will further delay their return. The sooner they go back, the sooner they can send back remittance that has proven all the more crucial for our economy, both pre- and post-Covid. The authorities must immediately investigate the matter and bring these syndicates to book. At the same time, they must ensure the timely return of the stranded migrant workers so they can resume their work.