Mumbai: Bandra woman in 32-hour nightmare at Georgia airport

Kalanagar resident Khushbu Kaushal at her residence after landing in Mumbai Pic Rane AshishA solo trip turned into a disastrous experience for Kalanagar resident Khushbu Kaushal 32 who had left for a 15day solo trip to the Eurasian country of Georgia on June 29 She is back home but with a horror story The immigration department at Tbilisi airport didnt allow the advertising professional a pass into the country and offered no explanation about what was wrong with her papers if at allI went without sleep food or water for 32 hours she said adding that the authorities there sent her back to Mumbai where she landed on Saturday morning but not before Air Arabia misplaced her luggageKaushal who had to cancel all her prebooked tickets and hotel reservations said she sent a number of tweets to the Ministry of External Affairs but failed to get a response while Indias Ambassador to the UAE washed his hands off the whole thingSleepless in TbilisiKaushal said she had chosen Georgia for its quick facility of evisa I landed in Tbilisi on June 29 630 pm their time They checked my documents bank statements passport visa booking details and a letter from my office They asked me a few questions we also shared a laugh over somethinghellip things were fine My documents were all in order so they let me go But shortly after an officer approached me and asked me to wait at an unmarked counter and it was all downhill from there she saidShe was made to wait at the airport which didnt have proper facilities of drinking water and food There was also no WiFi there so she took mobile data from another stranded passenger and sent a series of tweets to Minister of External Affairs Sushma SwarajI kept requesting the immigration officers to at least provide us with some food and water But they were extremely rude and just shooed me off We were allowed to buy something to eat and drink after seven hours I cant remember when I have been this dehydrated she recollectedSharjah sojournIn the wee hours of June 30 she was flown to Sharjah as the city operates flights to Mumbai Authorities at Tbilisi airport allegedly handed over her passport and other documents directly to the airline saying she would get them back only after landing in India At no point in time did things sort out as after landing in Sharjah there was more waiting in store for herHungry tired and sleepdeprived Kaushal had to shell out 30 dirhams for some shuteye in the business lounge at Sharjah airport where she landed around 10 am After a fourhour wait when she reached the transit desk she was asked to wait till 3 pm This went on till 9 pm with Kaushal none the wiser as authorities refused to tell her anything mdash why her immigration clearance didnt go through and when she would be allowed to leaveWhen I spoke to an official at the transit desk at Sharjah airport I was told that they have sought permission from Mumbai for my return I was shocked to hear that I am a resident of India why on earth do they need permission for that Then when I spoke to them again after waiting for hours they said they were waiting for permission from Tbilisi to allow me back to Georgia I was furious she addedFinally she boarded her Air Arabia flight to Mumbai at 1145 pm and landed here early on SaturdayKhushbu Kaushal when she was stuck at the airport in Tbilisi GeorgiaBaggage misplacedKaushals ordeal didnt end there because when it rains it pours Air Arabia misplaced her baggage She had to file a written complaint with the airline However she said she is thankful to the airline for helping her when she was stuck in SharjahMy colleagues contacted some senior officials in Air Arabia who worked tirelessly on my case with their Sharjah team Lost baggage is a small price to pay for returning home safe and sound she addedAn Air Arabia spokesperson said While the comfort of our passengers is our highest priority immigration services at respective countries are out of airlines jurisdiction Ms Kaushal was assisted by our staff and booked on the next available flight once Indian immigration clearances were completed Her luggage was also transferred on the next available flightShe was informed last night that her bags had been found and would reach her at the earliest