Pedestrians hold umbrellas while trying to make their way across a street in pouring rain, in Kochi.- PTI
Abu Dhabi - Heavy monsoon had wreaked havoc in the past few days, dampening the festive spirits of Eid and Onam.
Published: Wed 15 Aug 2018, 9:00 PM
Last updated: Fri 17 Aug 2018, 10:31 AM
The south Indian state of Kerala is facing an unprecedented situation with floods and heavy rain leading to Cochin International Airport suspending operations till August 28 afternoon.
Heavy monsoon had wreaked havoc in the past few days, dampening the festive spirits of Eid Al Adha and Onam, and even marriage plans of many expatriates.
Safdar Hashmi has booked ticket for Saturday and was planning to be getting married next week. "I have booked ticket with Etihad Airways. However, if this weather situation continues my marriage plans would be affected," said Hashmi, who is in the Capital for the last four years.
"I got engaged in December and ever since, like anyone, was looking forward to the big day."
For Rahul Ravindranath, it is his honeymoon trip that is hanging in fine balance.
"This is an unexpected situation back in Kerala. I got married this January and was planning a honeymoon trip. This was to be my first visit back home after all these months. Now I don't know how all this will pan out. I have an early flight on Sunday. I am just keeping a close watch on the developments," Ravindranath said.
"My wife is a teacher and it is vacation time for her too. All flights to Kochi are cancelled and diverted. Even there is connectivity problem if we need to travel from one place to another. Now most places resemble an island," the native of Thrissur district said.
Muhammed Rasik was set to travel on Friday with the hope of enjoying Eid with his family.
"I don't know what to do or what will happen. I have Friday ticket of Air India Express to Kozhikode. I am hoping the airport will not be affected," Rasik said.
"My family is settled there. I was looking to spend time with them during this Eid and Onam," he added.
Vishnu Unni is set to leave on Saturday. He is getting married on September 3.
"I have lot of things to do ahead of marriage. There are lots of preparations to be made. This monsoon has come unannounced and marred everything. If things don't work out this week, I am hopeful of a replacement ticket for next week," Unni said.
Sreerag Narayanan, another resident, said his in-laws are forced to take long connected flights.
"My in-laws are in Palakkad. They were set to take flight from Kochi on Thursday but now all plans have gone up in smoke. Now I have rescheduled the tickets. They will now fly out from Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu state) to Mumbai (Maharashtra) and from there to Abu Dhabi. They are in late 60s and have to endure a long journey," Narayanan said.
Anoop Kumar Jayan, another resident who has his travel plans in jeopardy, is pinning hope that airlines will soon come up with an alternate plan.
"I am travelling this Friday. This is going to be a tough time for everyone. I had planned this leave long time back. This is an unexpected weather situation and it has hit all vacation plans. I was supposed to spend time with family and planned outings with friends. However, now it is all going to be indoors. Even for that, I have to reach home, which at the moment looks a distant dream."
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com
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