144 Telugus stranded in Nepal return to A.P.

An Indigo flight with 144 Telugu people from Andhra Pradesh on board took off from the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu and landed in Visakhapatnam airport on Thursday night, marking a successful end to the Andhra Pradesh government’s mission to rescue teh Telugus stranded in strife-torn Nepal.

The flight, which was sent to Kathmandu from Delhi, dropped 104 passengers in Visakhapatnam and continued its onward journey to Tirupati with the remaining 40 passengers. All 144 occupants were Telugus stranded in Nepal.

Meanwhile, a group of 22 people from Andhra Pradesh entered India through the Bihar border and another 12 persons reached Nepalgunj located along the border of Uttar Pradesh from Simikot from a special flight on Thursday.

RTGS Minister Nara Lokesh led the rescue efforts by monitoring the situation from the moment the crisis unfolded and coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs, officials of border States, A.P. Bhavan in New Delhi, and ground teams to ensure the safe evacuation of all citizens. “Special thanks to the officials at the AP Bhavan in Delhi, who successfully coordinated the rescue mission,” said the Minister.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Lokesh held a review meeting at the Secretariat (RTGS) along with Ministers Vangalapudi Anitha, Kandula Durgesh and Kondapalli Srinivas to oversee the rescue arrangements. He directed that local MLAs and public representatives to extend a warm welcome to the returnees at airports, including Visakhapatnam and Tirupati, and ensure their safe onward travel to their respective hometowns.