Headlines
Sushma promises to bring back Keralites from Nepal
New Delhi, April 27
External Affairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj has assured the Kerala government that around 250
Keralites stranded in quake-hit Nepal would be brought back, a state
minister said on Monday.
Kerala Minister for Diaspora K.C. Joseph
along with parliament members from the state - including Rajya Sabha
Deputy Chairperson P.J. Kurien - met Sushma Swaraj in the capital.
"We
have been able to understand that there are around 250 Keralites who
are still in Nepal, while 115 of them are now travelling by road to
Gorakhpur (in Uttar Pradesh) and 47 have already reached Delhi," Joseph
told the media in Delhi.
"The minister (Sushma Swaraj) has
promised us that all efforts will be made to bring back our people from
Nepal. The weather conditions, however, at times become bad and as a
result aircraft are unable to land there," he said.
Joseph said his visit to Delhi reflects the "seriousness" of the Kerala government when it comes to crunch situations.
"The
state government has made all arrangements for all Keralites who arrive
from Nepal to come to the Kerala House here if they want. All those
whose air tickets have expired for onward journey to Kerala will get
revalidated tickets," he said.
Joseph told the media it should appreciate the good work the Kerala government was doing.
"If
a Kerala minister would not have come here, you would have asked, 'Why
is the government not sending a minister?' Now that I have come, you
ask, 'Was there a need for a minister to travel from there to here?'."
"Remember
it was only the Kerala government that followed up every activity when
Indians were evacuated from Iraq, Libya and Yemen," said a peeved
Joseph.
He also spoke about the condition of Ebin Soorya, a
medical professional from Kozhikode who, along with two of his
colleagues, has now been tracked down in Nepal.
"Soorya is under medical attention in Nepal and Sushma Swaraj has promised to airlift him to Delhi at the earliest," he said.
Meanwhile,
Soorya's mother told the media in Kerala that she managed to speak to
her son who is currently in a hospital in Nepal. She said he underwent
dialysis after doctors said his renal condition was not good.
The devastating quake that struck Nepal on Saturday has left over 3,300 people dead and thousands of others injured.