VIJAYAWADA: The State government has intensified efforts to trace and assist people of Andhra Pradesh stranded or reported missing in the flash floods in Nepal, with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directing officials to ensure their safety and facilitate their evacuation to secure locations.
Following the Chief Minister’s directions, the official machinery has stepped up monitoring the situation, particularly the safety of Telugu pilgrims travelling along the Nepal-Tibet route to Kailash Mansarovar.
Minister for Real Time Governance and IT Nara Lokesh is coordinating the efforts, while the Real Time Governance Society (RTGS) is continuously tracking developments and collecting information about AP pilgrims.
Reviewing the situation, the Chief Minister made it clear that bringing AP residents facing difficulties in Nepal safely back to their native places should be the top priority, and directed all the departments concerned to work in close coordination.
He further instructed them to ensure that there was no delay in providing information to the families, continuously monitor the situation and keep him updated with the latest developments.
According to officials, 41 persons from AP have been identified as being stranded in Nepal. Of the stranded pilgrims, 34 are safe, while the whereabouts of seven others are yet to be ascertained.
All 28 pilgrims from Tirupati safe in Kathmandu
They explained that some of the stranded persons remain there as road and air connectivity is yet to be fully restored.
The missing persons have been identified as Bala Subramanyam of Kuppam, Sasi Kumar, who was travelling with Isha Foundation Group S3, and Rajyalakshmi Nimmagadda, also a member of the same group. Bhaskar Shastri and three others from Adoni and Kurnool have been confirmed safe but remain stranded. They are part of a 156-member group travelling to Kailash Mansarovar. AP Bhavan and the departments concerned are closely monitoring the cases of all seven persons.
They informed the Chief Minister that four persons from the Kurnool-Adoni region are safe in Tibet and that they have been contacted. Similarly, 28 pilgrims from Tirupati region are safe in Kathmandu and have also been contacted through the RTGS.
A control room has been established at AP Bhavan in New Delhi to receive information and coordinate assistance for affected travellers from AP. Families and relatives can contact the control room on Nos. 011-23384016 and 011-23387089 or send information through WhatsApp at 9059824101.
RTGS Secretary Bhaskar Katamneni and CEO Prakhar Jain directed the RTGS team to remain on continuous monitoring duty. Officials are tracking information from multiple sources, cross-verifying details and maintaining coordination with AP Bhavan and other agencies.
The information collected by RTGS is being shared with AP Bhavan for coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian Embassy, Nepalese and Chinese authorities and other agencies involved in rescue and evacuation operations. The floods have severely affected key transit and acclimatisation points used by Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims, including Syaprubesi and Timure, disrupting communication and movement.
Meanwhile, RTGS has confirmed that all 28 pilgrims from Tirupati who travelled to Mansarovar through Pine Inn Travels are safe in Kathmandu. The group left Tirupati on the night of August 21 and is currently staying at a hotel near Yellakonda in Kathmandu. Officials contacted the pilgrims and confirmed that all 28 members are safe and staying together. Lokesh is personally coordinating rescue efforts, they said.
AP Bhavan is coordinating with the Indian Embassy, Chinese Embassy, Nepalese authorities, Gyrong Immigration Centre, Isha Foundation, RTGS and the Ministry of External Affairs.
Families searching for missing persons can also contact Nepal Tourism Police on No. 1144 and provide travel details, transportation information and the person’s last known location to AP Bhavan or the authorities concerned.
