26 scientists among 150 Indians returning home from S Africa this week

Twenty-six Indian scientists stranded in South Africa’s Cape Town due to a coronavirus lockdown will be heing back home this week.

y h been on a mission to Antarctica and stuck in South Africa three months ago after imposition of lockdown.

scientists are among around 150 Indian nationals who will be returning home on a South African Airways (SAA) flight that will leave Johannesburg on Friday for Mumbai and Delhi.

Indian Consul General in Johannesburg, Anju Ranjan, said over 1,000 Indian nationals h registered for flight.

Passengers h to be vetted by Indian mission based on a criteria set by South African Department of Home Affairs.

“We h to select priority passengers depending on ir need,” Ranjan said in a Facebook brocast.

diplomat said those left out are likely to be repatriated on an Air India flight under Indian government’s Vande Bharat mission.

“People who are going back on this flight include 26 scientists from India who were stuck in Cape Town after y returned from a mission to Antarctica,” Ranjan said.

“y were here for past three months, so this was a priority for us to send m back to India,” official said.

Ranjan said 93 members of ISE Cruise who were stuck in coastal city of Durban were also a priority for m.

Ors approved for flight are those who are ill or on a temporary tourist visa.

Ranjan said ticket price for one-way flight was 15,000 rands, which was fixed by SAA and Indian government h thing to do with it.

fare, which is almost thrice rmal ticket price, has to be paid by passengers mselves.

An Air India flight can be expected in phase 3 of Vande Bharat mission in June as re is fixed date for it yet, Ranjan said.

Currently, mission in phase 2, official ded.

“Many people who could t pay could t be accommodated on flight. I feel very sorry for m, but we can have some say and discounts when we get our own flights, so I just want m to wait patiently and t feel disheartened,” Ranjan said.