The Kerala High Court has issued notice to the Centre on a writ petition filed by UAE returnees who lost their household items and other personal belongings in a fire at the warehouse of a cargo firm in Dubai.
The petition seeks a directive to the Indian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates to initiate legal action against the cargo company.
The petition was filed by Santhosh Kumar A.U. of Palakkad and 14 other UAE returnees. According to him, when they left the UAE by Vande Bharat flights after they lost their jobs in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, their household and other personal items were entrusted to Ruby Cargo, a packing and moving company based in Dubai, to be delivered to their residential addresses in the country.
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However, they did not hear anything about the status of their shipments despite several follow-ups with the cargo firm. But, later they learnt that the cargo was destroyed in a fire that broke out at the cargo firm’s warehouse in Dubai on July 6, 2020. Most of these items were expensive and purchased from various parts of the world during their visit to these places.
The petitioners sought a directive to extend benefits of the Indian Community Welfare Fund and legal assistance to them.