Sonu Sood airlifts 177 Odia girls from Kerala

NFTV: National Desk: Bollywood actor Sonu Sood after helping the migrant workers to reach their homes safely, the actor has now walked another extraordinary work for the people those stranded due to this ongoing COVID-19 lockdown. The Bollywood actor Sonu Sood airlifted 177 Odia girls who were stuck in Ernakulam of Kerala. These girls worked in a factory and did some stitching and embroidery work for them. They had nowhere to go when the factory closed down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

A source close to the Sonu Sood revealed to a daily newspaper that the actor was informed of the situation by a friend from Bhubaneswar, Odisha. And then he decided to take charge of the situation and do his best for the girls. The source added that he started the process by taking several permissions from the government to start operations at the Kochi Airport in Kerala to Bhubaneswar airport in Odisha.

After getting permission Sonu Sood arranged a special aircraft from Bangalore to airlift the stranded girls from Kochi who will be taken to Bhubaneshwar to reunite with their families. They further said that the duration from Bhubaneswar to their village is going to be 2 hours. The insider added that soon after finishing their journey, the girls will be heading back home.

The actor, along with his close friends, is actively working to help the stranded migrant workers reach their home states for the past three weeks. Sonu Sood has launched a toll-free number for those, who wish to return home. He is also extending help to the people, who are contacting him on Twitter.

Sonu Sood who has been arranging buses for migrant workers with the help of his friends said in an interview that he wants to help them because he was a migrant too when he came to Mumbai with a lot of dreams. Sonu Sood said that it reminded him of his early days when he saw the pictures of their suffering and read the heart-wrenching stories of how they are walking thousands of miles without food and water. Adding that he knows what struggle is, he revealed that he first came to Mumbai in a train without a reserved ticket and said that he traveled by standing at the door and sleeping in the space next to the washroom. 

Sonu Sood revealed when he gets a call at the helpline, his wife notes it down and his kids make a list of who will go in which bus. He is also looking into the paperwork for the travel and the medical test reports. He revealed that he intends to work till the last migrant reaches his hometown.

Rajya Sabha MP from Odisha’s ruling party Biju Janata Dal Amar Patnaik took to Twitter to thank Sood for his “noble efforts”. “@SonuSood Ji, your helping the Odia girls to return safely from Kerala is commendable. Kudos to your noble efforts. It’s incredible to see how you are helping the needy reach their homes safely. More strength to you,” Patnaik wrote on Twitter.