Dubai: A Dubai-based Indian organisation has plans to charter flights for Keralites who wish to vote in their country’s general elections, said a senior official of the association.
The Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC), which has 50,300 members in the UAE — 20,500 of whom are in Dubai — will be flying Keralities eligible to vote on April 7.
“It is a one-way ticket on discounted rates to Kozhikode district. We are in talks with a private company as well as Air India and Air India Express to charter the flights. The facility is exclusively for Keralites. It is not for KMCC members only but also for non-members, provided they are from the South Indian state of Kerala,” said Ebrahim Elettil, general secretary of the KMCC, UAE.
“Those who wish to avail of the services are already coming forward to register with us. We do not allow this facility for children because it is for eligible voters only,” added Elettil.
The organisation, which is often referred to as one of the largest expatriate organisations globally, was founded by expatriates from Kerala with the aim of extending humanitarian and legal assistance to those in need. The organisation has extensive data of all its members who need to submit their passport and ID details at the time of applying for membership.
Elettil said that the number of chartered flights operating will depend on the number of people who come forward to register for the facility.
“The private company is charging Dh500 per person for 165 people, while the other two airlines from India are charging Dh750 per person to fly 180 people and Dh600 to fly 180 people respectively. The final decision on this is expected to be taken tonight [Sunday],” said Elettil.
He said that the KMCC will not have any influence on voters who use the charted flight services extended by them.
“An individual is free to vote for whoever they wish. Our only aim is to make sure that Keralites living here get an opportunity to exercise their voting rights. This is not the first time that we have organised chartered flights to India. We extended a similar facility when an amnesty was declared in the UAE. We flew amnesty seekers who had cleared immigration but were unable to fly back because they did not have any money to buy an air ticket,” said Elettil.
