Indian Nationals Evacuated On Indian Navy Ships To Be Charged Evacuation Services Fee

In an unprecedented event, Indian citizens evacuated by the Indian Navy on its ships will be charged by the government. Passengers in earlier evacuation operations did not have to pay for their rescue.

On April 7, the stranded Indians were informed by the Indian High Commission in Malé that they would have to pay $40 or Rs 3,028, an “evacuation services charge” for evacuation on the INS Jalashwa.

Back in February-March 2011, when an operation to rescue 16,400 Indians from Libya on the Indian Navy ships INS Jalashwa, INS Aditya, and INS Mysore, no fee was charged.

The decision for charging Indians comes is in line with the guidelines of the Home Ministry, which stated:

Before that, Sources from the Ministry of Defence said that they had yet to receive any information about charging Indian nationals who would travel on the ships that had already departed for the Maldives and the UAE. However, according to The Hindu, at least two officials who were involved in the operations’ planning process said that there would be some charge.

The Navy said that its INS Jalashwa had already arrived in Malé, the capital of Maldives on April 7. The ship is scheduled to travel from Male to Kochi, carrying around 720 passengers on the morning of April 8.

This is one of the two ships that the Navy sent to the Maldives under Operation Samudra Setu to rescue Indians stranded because of the COVID-19 pandemic. INS Magar, the second ship, will reach the Maldives on May 10.

As a precaution, the ship will be divided into zones to prevent the intermingling of the evacuees and the crew.

The INS Jalashwa of the Indian Navy can generate 3MW of electrical power as well as 60,000 gallons of fresh water daily. It is also equipped with extensive medical facilities. During the pandemic, the ship has been used to provide relief, protection material, medical as well as administrative support staff.

Meanwhile, besides the civilian aircraft, INS Airavat and INS Shardul are departing for the UAE for evacuation to take Indian nationals back home.

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