We didn’t expect a problem this big, say Egypt evacuees

Away from the chaos and confusion on the streets of Cairo to the soothing comfort of homeland. It was happy homecoming for 315 Indians who were airlifted from the trouble-torn Egyptian capital on Monday.

“We have seen a beautiful Cairo. We also saw a burning Cairo,” said honeymooners Madhumita and Shashank Narvekar after landing at the Mumbai airport in the afternoon. “It’s a wonderful place for honeymooners and we would like to go there again,” added Madhumita, 28.

The bad experience over the last few days, however, has dented the couple’s spirit a bit. Since Friday, there has been utter chaos on the streets of Egypt, said Madhumita. The military was present wherever there was arson, loot, riots and protests. However, the streets were unsafe as the police were off them. “We never felt so insecure ever,’’ she added.

The Narverkars, who hail from Goa, got married on December 28, 2010, and were on a honeymoon trip to Egypt from January 17-30.

The violence on the streets of Cairo also made Duhita Samaiyar, 36, pack her bags and rush to her relatives in India along with her two daughters. Samaiyar moved to Cairo in 2004 as her husband, who works with Citibank, was posted there.

“We stay in a quiet neighbourhood and did not expect the problem to be of this magnitude,” she said. “From Friday, reports of violence and looting in our vicinity started coming up. Since my husband is in London, we contacted the Indian Embassy and my relatives in India. They advised me to come back,” she added.

Khozen Topiwala, senior manager with SOTC, said there were two battles: One on the streets of Cairo and the other, inside the airport. “There were tanks and guns on the street and looting going on in full swing. The scene was not any different inside the airport. With most airlines cancelling flights to India, passengers got into fights to book seats,” he said.

Alerted by the political turmoil and uncertainty in Egypt, companies like Tata Steel, Infosys Technologies and Kirloskar Brothers also decided to bring back their employees sent to Cairo on deputation.

Vikram Aggarwal, 26, a software engineer from Infosys and a resident of Malad, was supposed to stay in Cairo till February 4. But he had to cut short his trip.

“We were staying in a safe area called Al Noza. Everything was normal until the Friday namaaz when the violence started. Mobile and internet connections were not working and TV news channels were the only source of information for us. It was only on Saturday that I could contact my family here. As my passport was sent for renewal I was sent back to India on an emergency certificate issued by the Indian embassy,” he said.

However, Aushim Biswas, 45, who is a senior manager with Tata Steel, has a different story to narrate. Biswas and 299 people from Tatas were in Cairo to attend a business conference from January 17 to January 30. “There was some problem in the city but we were not subjected to any harsh treatment. The police and the people were very kind to us and helped us return to our country as soon as possible,” he says.

According to the passengers, the airline made them sign a bond of Rs45,000 per person, saying that they will return the money once they reach India. When contacted, the spokesperson for AI said they cannot comment on it. The one-way fare from Cairo to Mumbai is in the range of Rs15,000 to Rs27,000. Air India also sent a Mumbai-Jeddah flight further to Cairo on Monday evening to pick up more Indians.

“We do not know how many passengers we will be able to bring back but they will reach Mumbai by Monday night,” she said.