Published on: 27 Apr 2015 @ 13:56
AMN
India has mounted a major rescue and rehabilitation effort that was named ‘Operation Maitri’, deploying 13 military aircraft which carried medicines, field hospitals, blankets, 50 tonnes of water and other materials. More than 700 disaster relief experts drawn from the National Disaster Relief Force have been deployed by India. A slew of steps were also taken for speedy evacuation of stranded tourists including goodwill visas to foreigners and mobilising buses and ambulances to bring them by road. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup today said that Government has rescued 1935 Indians from quake-hit Nepal so far. He also informed that seven special and seven scheduled flights will operate today from Kathmandu to Delhi. Mr Swarup said, Buses from Pokhra to Raxaul and Kathmandu to Gorakhpur will also evacuate Indian citizens.
An inter-ministerial team, headed by a top Home Ministry official, will also leave for Nepal soon to coordinate the rescue and relief efforts as part of ‘Operation Maitri’. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the agencies involved in relief and rescue operation to speed up their efforts to save and evacuate people from earthquake hit Nepal. During the high level meeting in New Delhi yesterday, Mr. Modi said that highest priority be accorded to food and water supplies, including milk powder. He also directed for using road route for evacuating stranded people and stressed on the need for ensuring coordination among various agencies involved in relief and rescue operations.
Fresh tremors were also felt in several parts of India including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab yesterday. According to official sources, at least 68 casualties have been reported from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Rajasthan in earthquake related incidents. They said, the earthquake has also left 259 people injured.
International rescue teams have also reached Kathmandu as Nepal declared a state of emergency in the wake of the disaster, the worst in over 80 years of the country’s recorded history.