A Gravesend councillor fears he and other Gravesham residents stuck in the Punjab region are being forgotten by the British Government.

Last month Cllr Sangha described how the group of stranded Brits had been treated like pariahs as the Indian police enforced lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus – with some having their hands stamped and doors marked to indicate potential virus carriers.

It's now 16 days since lockdown came into operation in the region, but with flights organised for stranded Brits in Mumbai, Goa and Delhi, those in Punjab remain stranded.

"We are still waiting for news from the FCO as to when we might be able to get flights from Amritsar," said Cllr Sangha this week. "Most people are coping but some of the elderly are again running short of medications and some have treatments planned back in the UK.

"My personal concern is that a few of the elderly, who are over 80 years of age, are showing signs of mental stress and anxiety.

"I keep in touch with most of them but it is hard to keep the morale high when there is no news on flights."

Cllr Sangha said the group had learnt to form good relationships with village leaders and the Punjab police, to help avoid any confrontations, but that people were growing frustrated.

"The criticism of the FCO is high on most people' s list," he added. "They complain about the impersonal nature of emails and links to websites when what they want is to be able to talk to a real person to explain their circumstances.

"A number of people now cite the ability of the Germans, Italian and Canadian governments to organise flights to repatriate their citizens from India whereas they feel the UK has lagged behind.

"We are all trying to manage the situation and take a responsible outlook about when we might return to the UK. In this respect we expect the Indian government to make a decision on whether or not the national lockdown will be extended beyond April 14.

"If the national lockdown is extended I feel our morale will sink to a new low and we may see a deterioration in our overall health.

"But, I must stress that we realise the situation facing the whole world right now. We are not bleating or whingeing, just asking our government to be more proactive in getting us back home."

His calls have been echoed by others among the stricken group. Last week Surjit Atwal told Kent Online how he and his 83-year-old mother had been stuck in the village of Uttal on the outskirts of Jalandhar for the past two weeks, and that the police were forcing everyone to stay inside.

The Foreign Secretary spoke with his Indian counterpart last week to discuss measures needed to help bring UK and Indian nationals back home.

The FCO said it would post details of flights when available and encouraged people to keep checking its travel advice page, which currently confirms special flights will run from Goa, Mumbai and New Delhi between today, April 8, and Sunday, April 12 for British tourists, short term visitors and their direct dependants to return to the UK.

It also says the British High Commission is in contact with airlines, the Indian authorities and other governments to make sure commercial options for returning to the UK are available as soon as possible.

A spokesman added: "We recognize British tourists abroad are finding it difficult to return to the UK because of the unprecedented international travel and domestic restrictions that are being introduced around the world – often with very little or no notice.

“The FCO is working around the clock to support British travellers in this situation to allow them to come back to the UK. The Government is seeking to keep key transit routes open as long as possible and is in touch with international partners and the airline industry to make this happen. Consular staff are supporting those with urgent need while providing travel advice and support to those still abroad.”

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