Govt arranges buses for travel to J&K from Delhi
Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Mar 15: Over 70 Indian students, most of them from J&K, arrived safely at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi today in the first phase of the evacuation process, bringing relief to their anxious families.
Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp
According to the J&K Students Association (JKSA), the students, along with several pilgrims stranded in Iran, returned to India after undertaking a long and difficult journey involving land and air transit through Armenia and Dubai.
JKSA National Convenor Nasir Khuehami said the students travelled from different cities across Iran by bus and crossed into Armenia.
As per details, they boarded a Flydubai flight from Zvartnots International Airport in Yerevan to Dubai before taking another connecting Flydubai flight to New Delhi, which landed at around 9:45 am on Sunday.
Khuehami said most of the returning students were pursuing studies at universities across Iran, including Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences and other institutions.
Many of them had earlier been relocated to safer locations by the Indian Embassy in Tehran following the deterioration in the security situation.
He said the evacuation was facilitated through coordinated efforts of the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian missions in Tehran and Yerevan, and other concerned authorities after the issue was taken up with senior officials.
According to the Association, the students travelled on commercial flights as part of an initial evacuation arrangement facilitated through diplomatic coordination and support from Indian missions.
The JKSA expressed gratitude to the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Tehran for facilitating the evacuation and ensuring the safe return of the students.
“This development has brought much-needed relief to students and families across Kashmir who had been deeply worried about the safety of their children in the conflict-affected region,” Khuehami said.
He, however, urged the Government to launch a full-fledged evacuation operation, similar to the large-scale evacuation carried out during the Ukraine crisis and the evacuation undertaken during last year’s 12-day war-like situation in Iran, to ensure the safe and timely return of all Indian students still stranded in different parts of the country.
Meanwhile, the J&K Government arranged AC sleeper buses for the onward journey of the returning students and pilgrims from New Delhi to J&K.
Khuehami said the transportation arrangements were made after the matter was raised with Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Sogami to ensure that proper facilities were in place for the returnees upon their arrival.
The sleeper coaches were stationed in the parking area on the left side of the exit gate at Terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport to assist the arriving passengers.
Khuehami added that many students were exhausted due to continuous travel over the past several days, having undertaken long road and air journeys before finally reaching India.
While some students opted to board the buses arranged for their onward journey to Jammu and Kashmir, others booked connecting flights to Srinagar due to fatigue and the long duration of travel.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
