Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu said on Wednesday (September 10) that Air India and IndiGo are running special flights to bring back Indians stranded in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu.
The minister also mentioned that airlines have been asked to keep fares reasonable. Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu had been closed due to violent protests and unrest in Nepal but reopened after about 24 hours on Wednesday.
Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu shared on social media platform X, “Due to the closure of airports in Nepal, many repatriated passengers were stuck in Kathmandu.
With the airport reopening, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India, in coordination with Air India and IndiGo, has arranged extra flights this evening and in the coming days, along with resuming scheduled services from tomorrow.”
Air India said in a statement that it is operating special flights from Delhi to Kathmandu and back today (September 10) and tomorrow (September 11) to help stranded passengers. “Our scheduled operations will also resume from tomorrow.
We thank the government and other agencies for their quick coordination to make this possible for our passengers,” the airline posted on X.
Nepal is Back on Track!
Normalcy seemed to return in Nepal on Wednesday. Soldiers were seen patrolling the streets to maintain order and prevent violence disguised as protests.
KP Sharma Oli resigned as Prime Minister on Tuesday amid violent anti-government protests.
The army, responsible for security, imposed a curfew until 6 am on Thursday following incidents of arson and vandalism across the country.
Soldiers guarded streets throughout the night, and people were ordered to stay home. Due to this, Kathmandu was quiet on Wednesday.
Just a day earlier, protesters had set fire to the Parliament House, President’s Office, Prime Minister’s residence, government buildings, Supreme Court, offices of political parties, and homes of senior leaders.
Fortunately, there were no reports of violence on Wednesday.
Around 1,000 Indians Feared Stranded
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Wednesday that he spoke with India’s foreign secretary about the situation in Nepal and assured the safe return of about 1,000 Indian nationals stranded there.
“The government should ensure the safety of Indian tourists stuck in Nepal. Many are at the airport, on roads, and in hotels.
I spoke to the foreign secretary yesterday, who said around 1,000 Indians will be brought back soon,” Kharge said, according to PTI.
Prime Minister Oli resigned on Tuesday after hundreds of protesters stormed his office demanding his resignation.
This followed police action during a youth protest against corruption and the government’s ban on social media, which resulted in at least 19 deaths on Monday.
The social media ban was lifted on Monday night, but protests continued even after Oli’s resignation.
