Bhubaneswar: 23 pilgrims and tourists from Odisha stranded in Nepal following the violence were rescued and brought back to India under a special initiative of the state government.
An official statement said that 23 people, including seven women from Malnandpur panchayat of Jajpur block, had gone to Nepal last week to visit the famous Pashupatinath temple and some other tourist places. They were stuck in a private hotel in Kathmandu and were unable to go anywhere else due to widespread violence and arson following the unrest.
After the matter was brought to the notice of the district administration and the state government by the families of the stranded pilgrims, the state government took immediate action to rescue the stranded pilgrims.
The Odisha Family Directorate under the Department of Odia Language, Literature and Culture, the Office of the Chief Resident Commissioner in New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu and the Indian Ambassador to Romania Manoj Kumar Mohapatra facilitated the return of all the 23 Odia pilgrims.
The 23 pilgrims include Ajay Kumar Panda, Mamina Panda, Pankaj Kumar Dhal, Bharat Kumar Swain, Kamini Swain, Sharda Prasanna Kar, Reema Kar, Manoj Kumar Mishra, Suren Dalai, Viren Dalai, Parshuram Dalai, Purnachandra Dalai, Prasannajit Dalai, Brajkishore Mishra, Lopamudra Mishra, Shreyan Saurabh Mishra, Santosh Kumar Pani, Sasmita Pani, Bagmipriya Pani, Pramod Kumar Mishra, Rajshree Mishra, Baishnav Sahu and Suresh Chandra Sahu.
In this regard, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said, “In view of the unrest prevailing in Nepal, 23 Odia people stranded there have been safely rescued and sent back to India. With the grace of Mahaprabhu Shri Jagannath and the coordinated efforts of the state and central government agencies including Odisha Family Directorate under the Department of Odia Language, Literature and Culture and the PRC Office in New Delhi, this operation was successfully completed. I express my gratitude to all the officers and agencies whose coordinated efforts made this operation successful. The state government is fully committed to ensuring the safety and welfare of the Odia people around the world.”
