COVID-19: Govt evacuates 2,05,603 stranded JK residents
1,40,184 via Lakhanpur, 65,419 through special trains
JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has evacuated about 2,05,603 JK residents, stranded in other parts of the country due to COVID lockdown, via Lakhanpur and through special trains and buses till date amid strict observance of all necessary guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures.
As per the official data received in this regard, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has received 79 special trains at Jammu and Udhampur railway stations from different states and UTs, so far, with about 65,419 passengers while about 1,40,184 persons from other states and UTs including 823 from abroad have been evacuated by the government through Lakhanpur till date.
As per the detailed breakup of the figures, about 2311 stranded passengers including 2 passengers from Ukraine and 27 from Pakistan have entered through Lakhanpur from July 9 to July 10 mornings while 971 passengers have reached today in the 58th Delhi COVID special train at Jammu. So far, 58 trains have reached Jammu with a total of 49,723 stranded passengers belonging to different districts while 15,696 passengers have reached Udhampur in 21 special trains, so far.
Meanwhile, the administration has facilitated repatriation of 2924 passengers from various countries to the Union Territory through special evacuation flights in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic till date.
Since May 8, 2020, a total of 2924 passengers reached Srinagar through flights and by road from Lakhanpur.
Through special evacuation flights 672 passengers arrived from Dhaka in the month of May; 705 from Dubai during the months of May, June and July; 148 from Riyadh and 129 from Dammam in May; 172 from Doha in the months of May and June; 157 from Muscat during the month of June; 290 from Jeddah during the months of June and July; 335 from Kyrgystan during June and July; 171 have arrived from Sharjah in the month of June.
145 people who arrived from Kuwait at Delhi (40 passengers) and Amritsar (105 passengers) in the month of June were facilitated by the JKSRTC by providing them free buses from Delhi and Amritsar respectively to Srinagar.
Additionally, about 355 residents of Jammu and Kashmir who arrived from Pakistan through Wagah border were also extended free JKSRTC buses service up to Srinagar.
Pertinently, Ministry of External Affairs on the request of Jammu and Kashmir Government has extended all possible assistance in facilitating early return of JK residents stranded abroad.
The passage of stranded Jammu and Kashmir residents from various parts of the country, in the wake of lockdown due to spread of global pandemic of corona virus, is high on the agenda of the administration and so far a large number of stranded people have been ferried by various modes of transport including railways into the UT.
