NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI/COLOMBO, JUNE 1
The Indian navy ship INS Jalashwa will sail from Colombo port in Sri Lanka on Monday carrying around 700 Indian nationals back to Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu. This will be the first operation as part of operation ‘Samudra Setu’ from Sri Lanka to repatriate Indian citizens as part of Vande Bharat Mission, a Defence spokesman said.
#IndianNavy #OperationSamudraSetu
INS Jalashwa arrived #Colombo Sri Lanka today 4 bringing back stranded Indian Citizens.
The ship is expected to embark approximately 700 Indian Nationals today. @SpokespersonMoD @indiannavy @PTI_News @DDNewsGujarati @PIBAhmedabad pic.twitter.com/dpqKpYUFrx— PRO Defence Gujarat (@DefencePRO_Guj) June 1, 2020
The ship reached Colombo this morning and will depart by late evening. Indian High Commission in Colombo is making final arrangements for the repatriation with support of the Sri Lankan navy and other authorities.
The amphibious transport dock will commence the evacuation process in Colombo through jetty service that would facilitate the evacuees on the ship.
प्रबल झंझावात में तू बन अचल हिमवान रे मन।A @crpfindia buddy pair fighting in unison in the snowy Kashmir valley undeterred by the elements of nature.What an inspiring sight!!
pic.twitter.com/aECEAgjg9y— M.S.BHATIA,IPS (@MSBhatiaIPS) May 31, 2020
Catering to the present requirements of maintaining social distancing and health protocols the ship is divided specifically into three zones– red, orange, and green.
Guardians Of The Sky !
Indian Air Force … A cut above !!
PC : Col Jitendra Sharma pic.twitter.com/ysXxd98fM0
— PRO Shillong, Ministry of Defence (@proshillong) May 31, 2020
According to Commander Gaurav Durgapal, Executive Officer on INS Jalashwa, “The guidelines for safety against COVID-19 and the protocols for the same are being promulgated by the naval headquarters and the commands respectively.”
When the unbelievable happens, #IndianArmy steps forward.#ChinarCorps recovers a 14 tonne civil truck in Macchal. Utmost care was taken to recover the vehicle during heavy rainfall.#Kashmir #HumsayaHainHum #AwaamAurJawan@adgpi @NorthernComd_IA pic.twitter.com/lJS6ttQfea
— Chinar Corps🍁 – Indian Army (@ChinarcorpsIA) May 31, 2020
“The entire ship for the purpose of evacuation has been divided into three zones. The red zone is the area where we plan to accommodate all the evacuees. An orange zone is a place with a team dedicated to taking care of the people being evacuated and the Green zone is where officers and sailors are staying,” Durgapal said.
Splendid people on duty @BSF_India pic.twitter.com/a8BmzNJNQu
— Ponjit Dowarah (@ponjitdowarah) May 31, 2020
COVID-19 related precautions such as social distancing norms have been ensured for those on board. Evacuees are subjected to the required medical screening and those asymptomatic have been allowed to embark.
#IndianArmy#LtGenYKJoshi, #ArmyCdrNC conveys best wishes to all ranks & veterans of #ArmyEducationCorps on the occasion of their 100th #RaisingDay.@adgpi @SpokespersonMoD pic.twitter.com/V3roj38Csz
— NORTHERN COMMAND – INDIAN ARMY (@NorthernComd_IA) June 1, 2020
Those being repatriated are provided with a new mask at the time of embarkation followed by a new mask each day till they reach their designated port Tuticorin. Hand sanitizers are available at the help desk and medical desk for the evacuees.
The last rites of Sapper Sanjeeva Reddy were conducted with military honours at his native village in Andhra Pradesh on 31 May.@adgpi @SpokespersonMoD pic.twitter.com/xDSOug3KyZ
— EasternCommand_IA (@easterncomd) May 31, 2020
In a measure to contain the spread of the virus, if any, the sailors and officers who interact with the evacuees have donned personal protective equipment (PPE) kits. Strict protocols are also being followed while removing the PPE kit.
“Our primary goal is to provide the evacuees’ accommodations that are disinfected fully. A process of deep cleaning is also being maintained while strictly following the guidelines given by naval headquarters,” said commander Durgapal.
The Operation Samudra Setu under Vande Bharat Mission has so far facilitated over 1000 evacuees from Male during the earlier phases of the operation — on May 8 and May 16.
Taking to Twitter, High Commission of India in Sri Lanka tweeted: “A happy & bright morning @ColomboPort. #INSJalashwa is the ‘Fearless Pioneer’ ready to take 700 stranded Indians back to their homeland from #SriLanka. This is INS Jalashwa’s 3rd voyage under #SamudraSetu Previously she carried to India nearly 1400 Indians stranded in the Maldives.”
“Evacuation is being carried out against the complicated scenario of COVID-19. The primary challenge is to ensure that evacuees maintain adequate distance among themselves. We have a team specifically to ensure social distancing among the evacuees. In the first two evacuations, the evacuees gave encouraging feedbacks that boost our moral responsibility” commander Durgapal said.
Under phase II of naval repatriation exercise, INS Jalashwa would voyage on evacuation missions to Male (Maldives) and Bandar Abbas (Iran).
