'500 Telugus Still Stranded in Nepal'

'500 Telugus Still Stranded in Nepal'

VISAKHAPATNAM:As many as 500 Telugus are still stranded in Nepal, even as 75 tourists have returned safely to their native places in the state, said IT, public relations and minority welfare minister P Raghunatha Reddy said.

The minister told mediamen here Wednesday that around 500 people from Andhra Pradesh were stranded in Nepal, as per government estimates. While few tourists reached New Delhi safely by trains and buses from the quake-hit Kathmandu, the state government was initiating necessary measures to rescue the rest.

As regards protecting the Wakf Board assets, he said that directions had already been issued to remove the illegal encroachments in Wakf assets in the next 10 days. Though there were Wakf lands worth several crores of rupees in the district, no revenue was generated from the assets until now. However, the prime lands in commercial areas would be developed under public-private partnership or build-operate-transfer basis and the revenue generated would be spent on the welfare of the minority community, he clarified.

Earlier, the minister announced an electronic media vehicle and an air-conditioned bus for the district Public Relations Office. The government would soon provide cameras and computers at all the DPRO offices in the state, he added.

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