Andhra Pradesh government Thursday arranged a special commercial flight of Indigo and brought back 144 Telugu people from the violence-hit neighbouring country Nepal, where they had been stranded. A large number of Telugus had been stranded in the Himalayan country and sought the assistance of the state government.
Nara Lokesh, the minister for education and IT, oversaw the rescue of the Telugus stranded not only in Kathmandu but also in the interiors of Nepal at Pokhra, Simikot and Hetauda.
Lokesh posted on his social media handle that the government has arranged for a special Indigo flight to bring back the stranded people. “Our special Indigo flight from Kathmandu with 144 Telugu brothers and sisters is now en route to Vizag and Tirupati. It has been a long 36 hours, but the joy and relief on their faces make it all worth it!” he said. He also reassured that “AP Bhawan’s 24×7 helpline remains open for stranded Telugu travellers. Wherever you are, we are here for you.”
The flight had to wait for the weather to clear up before it could leave Kathmandu for AP. But before that, the AP government also made arrangements to bring a group of 10 passengers from Pokhra in two chartered flights to Kathmandu so that they could board the special Indigo flight. The AP government also arranged buses and other special vehicles to bring back the stranded Telugus by road after crossing the Indo-Nepal border. A group of 12 Telugus who were stranded at Simikot were first brought to the Indian border at Nepalganj in a chartered flight and then to Lucknow after boarding vehicles arranged by the AP government.
Another 22 people stranded at Hetauda were brought in last night by a special bus. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu also thanked the Union government for their assistance. “Delighted to note that the rescue of stranded Telugu people from Nepal has begun successfully, reuniting them with their families. I thank the Union government for its prompt and swift assistance in this regard.”