HYDERABAD: Officials on Thursday said efforts were under way to trace 23 people from Telangana, including six residents of the state and 17 NRIs of Telangana origin, who were reported missing following the floods and flash floods in Nepal and the Nepal-Tibet region. The 20 cases involving them are being followed up in coordination with the Centre, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu and Nepalese authorities.
Since the special helpline was launched, the government has received 80 to 100 calls from family members, relatives and others seeking information and assistance. Officials said that following preliminary scrutiny and verification, 20 cases involving 23 people were taken up for further follow-up.
Former Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chairman Dr G Satheesh Reddy and 30 other pilgrims from Hyderabad who were on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra have been confirmed safe in Tibet. Satheesh Reddy told TNIE that the group had completed the pilgrimage, reached Saga and was exploring an alternative route for its return.
“We are all safe in Tibet. We completed our Kailash Manas Sarovar Yatra successfully and started our return journey and reached Saga in Tibet. We are working out an alternative route,” he said.
The pilgrims narrowly escaped the flood-affected area on Wednesday morning, hours before the flash flood struck the region.
Over 150 persons from Hyd in Nepal
In a video statement, another member of the group said they were exploring the possibility of returning to Hyderabad through the Tibet-China route instead of travelling through Nepal.
“Once the Chinese authorities decide which exit route to assign us, we will attempt to return via that route,” Satheesh Reddy said.
The group reached Darchen safely before proceeding towards Saga on Thursday. The pilgrims said there had been no untoward incident or accident involving their group and that they were taking precautions while working out their return journey.
Meanwhile, a Hyderabad woman, Suhasini Reddy, a resident of LB Nagar Vasthi Colony, has been reported missing. Suhasini, a software professional working in Australia, arrived in Hyderabad on August 19 and subsequently travelled to Nepal for the Mansarovar pilgrimage. According to her family, she reached Kathmandu with a friend from Australia and joined a group of 29 pilgrims travelling through a private tour operator.
More than 150 pilgrims from Hyderabad were visiting the Kailash Mansarovar region when severe flooding disrupted roads and transport links, according to sources. Several groups were initially difficult to contact, but a number of them have since reported that they are safe.
A family from Adoni in Kurnool district was also among those who travelled to Nepal earlier this month. Sixteen members of their tour group who fell ill stayed back at Darsing near the China border while the rest continued with the pilgrimage circuit. They have since been moved to a safer location, with arrangements being explored for their evacuation.
The Telangana government has set up a special helpline and coordination centre at Telangana Bhavan in New Delhi following the directions of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. A separate control room has been established at the Dr BR Ambedkar Telangana Secretariat in Hyderabad under the General Administration Department’s NRI wing.
Officials are coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu and Nepalese authorities to trace people whose whereabouts remain unclear, verify their safety and facilitate assistance and evacuation where required. The Resident Commissioner of Telangana Bhavan is monitoring the coordination and follow-up.
I&PR Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy said the state government was closely monitoring the situation and urged families who believed a Telangana resident was stranded in Nepal to immediately inform the government.
Families have been asked to provide the affected person’s name, passport details, mobile number, last known location in Nepal, travel or tour operator details and family contact numbers so the information can be verified and taken up with the relevant authorities.