BHUBANESWAR : Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has discussed with the Centre about safe return of people of Odisha residing in or stranded in the war-torn Middle East, Law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said here on Sunday.
Talking to mediapersons, Harichandan said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) have started the process to evacuate Indians from the conflict zone. Since the Chief Minister has already taken up the matter with the Centre, people of the state too will return home safe.
Harichandan said, in the past, the Centre evacuated people from countries where Indians were stranded for different reasons like war or natural disasters. This time too, the Centre as well as the Odisha government is taking all steps for safe return of the people.
Hundreds of flights have been disrupted across Middle East and other countries including India following a major joint attack by the United States and Israel and retaliation by Iran.
Officials at the Chief Resident Commissioner’s office in New Delhi said their helpline has been activated and if any call is received from people in affected countries, they will coordinate with the Indian Embassy for their safe evacuation.
Currently, social media is flooded with stories of Odias living in the tense Middle East region. Though no call for evacuation has been received yet, frequent attacks have left families panic-struck.