Bhubaneswar: With Bahrain and Kuwait airports shut and sirens sending people scurrying for cover, more than 100 NRIs, including a dozen non-resident Odias, are desperately waiting for a Saudi visa to book a quick return ticket to India amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia.Several NRIs whom TOI spoke to said anxiety is mounting in Bahrain and Kuwait, where closed airspace, suspended flights and visa bottlenecks have left many scrambling for uncertain escape routes back home.With Bahrain and Kuwait airports effectively shut and commercial operations severely disrupted after drone and missile attacks, many are now trying to reach India through Saudi Arabia, where the airport and airspace are still open. However, that route is also proving difficult, as securing a Saudi visa is proving to be a hurdle.“Following some drone and missile attacks in Bahrain, I travelled to Saudi Arabia and have been staying in an apartment. There is a long queue at the Saudi embassy in Bahrain for visas. It may take one week to clear the backlog,” said Dilip Nadgir, a Karnataka native working in a multinational company in Bahrain.Nadgir said fear and confusion are widespread among Indians. “From my company alone, around 20 people are waiting for visas. Altogether, more than 100 NRIs, including about a dozen from Odisha, are waiting to go back to Odisha,” he said.Even where flight services have partially resumed, options remain scarce. “UAE started operations, but aircraft availability is very low,” said Santanu Panigrahi, a native of Odisha, underlining how limited connectivity is compounding the crisis.“For many, Riyadh emerged as the only possible transit point, but without visas, even that contingency plan remains out of reach. Long waits, uncertainty over approvals and the absence of clear timelines have left families in limbo,” Panigrahi said.Many expatriates no longer believe the crisis in Bahrain and Kuwait will ease quickly. “I am also eagerly waiting for the visa. There may be some improvement elsewhere in West Asia, but people do not expect the turmoil in these two countries to end soon,” he added.
