Additional flights to help those stranded
The civil aviation ministry has asked national carrier Air India and private airlines Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines to operate three flights each to Leh on Sunday to bring back stranded persons. However, all the airlines have been asked not to charge excessive fares from stranded passengers who are being brought back. A large
number of persons stranded at Leh and adjoining areas are reportedly foreign tourists. Air India operated two flights on Saturday itself from Leh to Delhi (222 passengers) and one flight from Leh to Jammu (103 passengers). Air India is levying “special” (lower) fares for passengers.
While the Army is spearheading the relief efforts, even civilians are joining in. Sources said even civilian doctors and surgeons — who were in Leh on holiday — are treating about 300 injured persons along with Army doctors.
On Saturday, Union home secretary Gopal K. Pillai said the Jammu and Kashmir government had requested the Centre to operate additional civilian flights to Leh so that the stranded tourists and others can leave the town either for Srinagar or for New Delhi. The Cabinet secretary also convened a high-level meeting on Saturday to take stock of the situation.
The ministry of defence (MoD) said in a statement that “Two IL-76 and four AN-32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force landed at the cleaned — up Leh Airport with 29 tons of loads which include 125 rescue and relief personnel of NDRF, medicines, generators, tents, portable x-ray machines and emergency rescue kits”. The tri-service Disaster Management Coordination Group met at the MoD on Saturday and further reviewed the progress in rescue and relief operations and decided to earmark special service aircraft to carry 19 VSATs and a set of other equipment of BSNL to Leh so that mobile and telecom connectivity could be restored at Leh at the earliest.
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