VIJAYAWADA: BJP Rajya Sabha MP GVL Narasimha Rao on Sunday demanded that the State government take urgent steps to arrange a special flight for the safe evacuation of around 150 students of Andhra Pradesh origin studying at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) and Central Agricultural University (CAU) in the strife-torn Manipur.
In a letter written to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the MP said as the situation in Manipur remains grim and intense, both the parents and students are worried about their safety. Quoting his interaction with some parents and students from AP over the phone, GVL stated that students are keen to return to AP until the situation returns to completely normal in Manipur.
The MP also stated that he spoke to top officials of the Manipur government, and they assured him that they would assist in the safe passage of all AP students returning by either commercial or special chartered flights.
As it is difficult for students to get tickets as limited seats are available on scheduled commercial flights and there is a huge rush of passengers, GVL urged Jagan to take immediate measures to get the AP students evacuated from Manipur by arranging a special chartered flight from Imphal to Visakhapatnam/Vijayawada or Tirupati.
Stating that several States have already made such arrangements to bring their students back, he sought an immediate response from the AP government in view of the volatile situation in Manipur.