Windsor, Ont. trucker stuck in India as citizens prioritized for repatriation

Windsor truck driver Prateek Gupta travelled to India in February to attend his brother's wedding, not ever thinking he'd have so much trouble getting home. 

Gupta was supposed to board a plane to Detroit on March 23, but the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything for him. 

"Everything was closed, I couldn't make it to the airport and sadly I could not board the flight," said Gupta. "And since then I've been in India — my parents live here, so I've been here stuck trying to get a flight back everyday."

Gupta has been desperately trying to return home, understanding his truck driving services are essential during this time — for the community and for him to pay his bills. 

He said he reached out to the consulate in New Delhi for help, but was told citizens are being prioritized for repatriation and for permanent residents accompanying citizen. Gupta said he was also informed non-eligible travellers should not contact the office again so that eligible travellers may be served. 

"That's really disturbing because as a permanent resident I contribute equally, I pay my taxes honestly as much as another Canadian citizen does. Except the right to vote I have all the rights I should have all the rights," said Gupta. 

He arrived in Windsor in 2013 to study engineering at the University of Windsor, before getting into the trucking business. 

With trucks it's big money in big money out. Right now I've got truck payments, mortgage payments, credit card payments — they don't stop,- Prateek Gupta, Windsor resident in India

Now, Gupta is one of thousands of Canadians stuck in India trying to make it back — a number so large it's creating a problem. 

So many people to bring back home

Since March, Global Affairs Canada has helped about one million Canadians return home from abroad — including direct flights for about 30,000 people. 

In an emailed statement to CBC News, the department echoed the message Gupta received, saying the consulate in India is "currently directed toward assisting Canadian citizens stranded in India and Canadian permanent resident travellers who are immediate family members of Canadian citizens and are accompanying these Canadian citizens on their flights." 

This is the largest peacetime repatriation effort in Canada's history,- Irek Kusmierczyk, MP Windsor-Tecumseh

Citizens can notify the government where they are through the Registration of Canadians Abroad website. That's a tool the government has offered in the repatriation effort and allows people to receive news about travel information. However, you need a passport to register on the website and permanent residents are unable to get through. 

Currently, about 25,000 Canadian citizens have registered on the site in India. 

"This is the largest peacetime repatriation effort in Canada's history," said Liberal MP for Windsor—Tecumseh Irek Kusmierczyk, explaining prioritization is needed because of how many Canadians are trying to come back. 

"We look at things like whether the citizens have health conditions for example that are urgent that need to be looked at."

So far, the federal government has helped 90 to 100 Windsor-Essex residents return to Canada from India, according to Kusmierczyk's office, and a total of 4,600 Canadians. 

At any one time, millions of Canadians are abroad, said Kusmierczyk, and adding in the fact that many countries have closed down airports and airspace, it's hard to get flights for Canadians coming home — regardless of their residential status. 

"The Global Affairs team is working day and night to provide as many repatriation flights as we possibly can to get as many Canadians home as we possibly can," he said. "There are indications as well that we're seeing that some of the airspace and some of the flights may be back on line as early as mid-May. And so we're looking at those as options as well."

For now, Gupta has been in touch with Kusmierczyk's office, hoping his local MP can do something more for him. The office said any permanent resident stuck abroad should try to get in touch with their local MPs — or the consular where they're located — as both can communicate to Global Affairs on their behalf. 

"I'm lucky I'm still at home I can feed myself, I have my parents to talk to," he said. "But the stress that I go through everyday, going on the website, trying to get a hold of the commission trying to get hold of the embassy."

Gupta said he's went into a bit of debt while paying for his trucking and housing bills.

"With trucks it's big money in big money out. Right now I've got truck payments, mortgage payments on my house, credit card payments — they don't stop," he said. 

"Right now I'm just trying to get back because trucking is still going it's one of the jobs that's still working and I'm so keen to get back working."