Nepal floods : Bihar evacuates 100 Maharashtra pilgrims, sends them home by train
Around 100 pilgrims from Maharashtra who were stranded in Kathmandu following flash floods in Nepal were evacuated by the Bihar government and sent back to their home state by train, an official statement said on Saturday.
The Bihar Disaster Management Department said the evacuation was carried out at the request of the Maharashtra government.
Acting on the directions of Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, the Sitamarhi district administration brought the pilgrims safely from the Nepal border to Sitamarhi on Friday, the statement said.
The evacuation was carried out under the supervision of Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit and Disaster Management Department Principal Secretary Santosh Kumar Mall. The pilgrims were provided food, drinking water and other essential facilities in Sitamarhi.
They were later brought to Patna at around 2.30 am on Saturday and accommodated at a community hall, where they received food, medical check-ups and other assistance.
Following coordination between the Bihar chief secretary and the Railway Board chairman, two additional coaches were attached to the Patna-Purna Express to accommodate the pilgrims.
The pilgrims left for Maharashtra by train at around 7.30 am on Saturday, an official said.
The pilgrims thanked the Bihar government and the Sitamarhi and Patna administrations for their prompt response and coordinated efforts to facilitate their safe return.
Some of the pilgrims also tied rakhis to railway and state government officials involved in the evacuation, the official said.
