8 From Telangana, 217 From AP Stranded in Nepal
Over 225 people from two states are stuck; AP govt readies flights, road routes for rescue
Hyderabad, Vijayawada: Amid the ongoing unrest in Nepal, eight people from Telangana who had gone on a business and religious tour have been stranded, with even the Indian Embassy unable to provide immediate assistance.
The stranded individuals are Sanjeevkumar Kandi, Nagarjuna Yeniganti, Penta Vasantrao, Tirupati Jimmala, Srinivas Rao Vemulapalli, Suresh Govikar, Prabhakar Kasimalla, and Shyam Mohan Yadav. They had travelled to Nepal on September 6, flying from Hyderabad via Delhi. After completing their religious tour, they visited Pokhara, where they were staying in a hotel when the unrest broke out.
Explaining their plight over the phone, they said that upon contacting the Indian Embassy, they were advised to remain where they were until further instructions. The distance between Pokhara and Kathmandu, where the embassy is located, is about 200 km.
Meanwhile, AP Minister for Education, IT and Electronics, Nara Lokesh, has assured that all 217 people from Andhra Pradesh stranded in Nepal will be safely brought back to their hometowns. He said the AP government has shifted its focus to the safe repatriation of its residents currently stuck there.
Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan sent tourism minister Kandula Durgesh to oversee rescue efforts, while Home and Disaster Management Minister Vangalapudi Anitha later joined the RTGS war room.
According to Lokesh, 217 citizens from Andhra Pradesh have been traced across Nepal and remain in regular contact with authorities: 173 in Kathmandu, 22 in Hetauda, 10 in Pokhara, and 12 in Simikot near the Nepal–China border. Of these, 118 (55%) are women and 98 (45%) men, with nearly 70% above 50 years of age and 31% above 60. The largest groups are from Visakhapatnam (42), Vizianagaram (34), and Kurnool (22), with others spread across 22 districts.
Detailing the evacuation plan, Lokesh said an IndiGo aircraft with a capacity of 218 passengers has been stationed in Delhi and will fly to Kathmandu on Thursday. Subject to clearances, the flight will depart from Kathmandu in the afternoon, with passengers escorted to the airport under Nepal Army security.
He added that at Simikot, 12 citizens will be moved to Nepalgunj near the Uttar Pradesh border by a Nepalese airline on Thursday morning, with helicopters on standby in case of cancellation. In Pokhara, arrangements are being made for a 14-seater charter flight to Nepalgunj, subject to Nepalese Air Force clearance, followed by road travel to Lucknow.
At Hetauda, 22 citizens have already begun road travel toward Raxaul on the Bihar border. Lokesh said the District Magistrate and Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Motihari, Bihar, have been instructed to assist with immigration, while Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in Delhi will coordinate their onward movement home.