Amid the rising political unrest in Nepal, the Maharashtra government is working on a war footing to ensure the safe return of over 100 tourists from the state who are currently stranded in the Himalayan nation, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said on Wednesday.
The state is coordinating with the Union Ministry of External Affairs, Maharashtra Sadan, and the Indian Embassy in Nepal to provide immediate assistance to affected tourists. “Ensuring the safe return of every stranded citizen and reassuring their families is our top priority. There is no need to panic,” Pawar said in a statement.
Tourists from Thane, Pune, Mumbai, Latur, and Kolhapur districts are among those stranded in Nepal. The largest group is from Murbad in Thane district.
Meanwhile, a separate group from Beed district has managed to travel back by road and has reached Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.
The deputy CM confirmed that all the tourists are currently safe and the state government is in direct contact with them to coordinate support and evacuation.
Vijayan said he wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar seeking help in this regard.
Informing the development through his `X` handle, the CM also assured full cooperation for all necessary coordination.
“Wrote to @DrSJaishankar Ji seeking urgent intervention to ensure the safe evacuation of a group of tourists from Kerala stranded in Pokhara, Nepal, amid protests and arson in the area. The Govt of Kerala will extend full cooperation for all necessary coordination,” he said in the `X` post.
The political situation in Nepal escalated on Tuesday following the resignation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, a move prompted by a widespread student-led uprising.
Demonstrators torched the residences of senior leaders, stormed party offices, vandalised parliament, and left the ruling dispensation rattled.
The trigger was the Oli government`s controversial ban on social media, which snowballed into massive public outrage.
Nepal`s Kathmandu airport to resume operations from 6 pm Wednesday
Nepal`s Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) has announced that it will resume services from Wednesday evening, 24 hours after closing its operations due to violent anti-government protests.
The announcement comes hours after the TIA authorities had earlier said the airport would remain closed until further notice following the massive violent protests across Nepal, leaving hundreds of foreign nationals stranded.
In a notice on Wednesday evening, the TIA management has asked the passengers concerned to contact their respective airline companies for re-confirmation (of their flights).
(With inputs from the Agencies)
