AI slashes fares to Kathmandu; Nepal ambassador thanks India
Indian evacuees from Nepal are escorted from an IAF C-17 Globemaster aircraft as they arrive at Air Force Station, Palam in New Delhi on Sunday. (Photo: PTI)
New Delhi: Top Indian government officials have appealed to the “thousands of stranded people” to be patient and assured that India would accommodate as many people as it can in its evacuation process, including foreign nationals. The Indian government has deployed 35 buses to evacuate stranded Indians in Nepal via two routes, Sunauli and Raxaul, along the Indo-Nepal border.
“My dear brothers and sisters of Nepal, India is with you in this hour of grief... For 125 crore Indians, Nepal is their own country and India will make all efforts to wipe the tears of every person in Nepal, hold their hands and stand with them,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday.
“I underline that rapid rescue and relief is our primary mission in Nepal. The situation in Nepal is very, very serious,” foreign secretary S. Jaishankar said. He added that Sunday’s aftershocks have hampered the rescue and relief operations as the Kathmandu airport was shut for a few hours, with the air traffic control personnel there having to be evacuated. However, the airport was later reopened.
An inter-ministerial team, headed by a senior home ministry official, will also leave for Nepal soon to coordinate the rescue and relief efforts. ambassador-designate of Nepal to India Deep Kumar Upadhyay also expressed gratitude to New Delhi for its quick response in helping its quake-hit neighbour as round-the-clock rescue work began there.
Mr Jaishankar said 546 people were brought back to India on Saturday while 504 have already arrived on Sunday and 130 more are expected to land late on Sunday night or early Monday morning.
An Indian Army expedition team also rescued over 61 climbers from Mount Everest while it retrieved 19 bodies. Three Army field hospitals are being set up in Nepal comprising a total of 18 medical teams and engineering task force and medical units of civilian doctors have also been sent to the neighbouring country.
National carrier Air India slashed the one-way fare between Delhi/ Kolkata/Varanasi and Kathmandu from Rs 14,000 to Rs 4,700 (inclusive of all taxes) and announced that on Monday, it would operate four additional flights altogether from Delhi, Kolkata and Varanasi to the Nepalese capital.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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