BHUBANESWAR: Around 23 tourists from Odisha including an under secretary of Finance department who were stranded in Dubai following the West Asia turmoil have returned to the state safely in two batches, the government said on Tuesday.
Official sources said the first batch of 15 people reached Mumbai in a special flight while the second batch of eight flew to Kochi in another special flight on March 8. All of them have returned to Odisha subsequently.
An official of Odisha Parivar, the nodal organisation to look after the evacuation requirements of the stranded people in West Asia, said over 70 Odia workers in the Middle East countries have also contacted the working group constituted by the state government for evacuation.
He said that the Ministry of External Affairs has held discussion with the states on the issue and Odisha government has requested the Centre to evacuate those people who are in a precarious condition because of the war.
The official, however, said the Centre has informed that it does not have a special evacuation plan at present. According to Centre’s assessment, the situation will improve during the next two to three days. The situation is under watch and a decision on evacuation will be taken if it is required, the MEA informed the state government in the meeting.
After coming to know that there is no special evacuation, the working group of the state government contacted the Odia Associations in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi and requested them to look after the well-being of the workers. The associations have already contacted the workers from Odisha in those countries and looking after them.
He said that the state government is keeping a close watch on the situation and will take steps as required.