Nepal floods
Bengaluru: Kannadigas stranded in Nepal Saturday urged chief minister DK Shivakumar to arrange an airlift, citing the risk of landslides and the difficult 12 to 15-hour road journey back. The pilgrim said the road journey from there is risky due to landslides and could take between 12 and 15 hours.
A pilgrim said their group had reached Darchan after travelling from Kailash base camp. “If we are airlifted from there, it will help us,” the pilgrim told Shivakumar. They were scheduled to travel to Nyalam, where immigration formalities would be completed before they entered Nepal border.
Aas many as 17 people from Karnataka, including Infosys Public Services CEO Lax Gopisetty, are yet to be traced in Nepal till Saturday, following devastating floods and landslides that have disrupted communication and transportation across several parts of the country.
Responding to the request, the CM said he will discuss the possibility of an airlift. I will analyse the situation and certainly initiate some measures,” he said, adding: ‘’You have gone on a pilgrimage and got stuck. “You don’t lose courage. It’s okay; we will take care.