Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], April 23 (ANI): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday met the stranded tourists of Maharashtra in a camp near Srinagar Airport and reassured them that all necessary assistance would be provided to ensure their quick return to Mumbai.
Shinde arrived in Srinagar on Wednesday evening. Following his arrival, he visited the camp and met the tourists.
Taking to social media post on X, the Deputy CM affirmed that the state government would all stranded tourists with care and dignity.
Showing solidarity with them, Shinde stated that he came there not as a Deputy CM but as a fellow Maharashtrian to stand by the stranded tourists and reassure them about their safe return home.
“I met many of our stranded tourists–tired, anxious, but resilient. It was heartening to see their spirits lifted just by knowing that their government was with them on the ground. I’m here not just as Deputy CM, but as a fellow Maharashtrian–to stand by them, reassure them, and personally coordinate their safe return home. Also proud to note the outstanding work done by the team of Dr Shrikant Shinde in these critical hours–coordinating logistics, providing emotional support, and ensuring every individual felt cared for. We will bring everyone home–with care, dignity, and the full strength of our government behind them,” Maharashtra Deputy CM posted on X.
https://x.com/mieknathshinde/status/1915101943594361224
An official statement from the office of the Deputy CM stated that following the terror attack in Pahalgam, many tourists from Maharashtra who were vacationing in Jammu and Kashmir became stranded, and some of them had reached out to Shinde over the phone seeking help.
In response, Shinde sent a Shiv Sena relief team, led by Abhijit Darekar (PA to Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde) and Deputy District Chief Rajesh Kadam, to assist the stranded Marathi citizens.
To speed up the relief efforts, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde personally travelled to Kashmir. Upon reaching Srinagar, he met with the stranded tourists. Many of them expressed that having Shinde himself there felt like a trusted family member had come to their aid, the statement reads.
The Maharashtra government is actively working to ensure the safe return of its citizens and has arranged special flights. The first of these flights is scheduled to depart tonight, bringing 65 people back to Mumbai. According to Deputy CM Shinde, three more flights–one each in the morning, afternoon, and evening tomorrow–will carry additional tourists back to Mumbai.
Shinde emphasised that meeting the tourists in person provided them with reassurance. He firmly stated that everyone would be safely brought back to Maharashtra. He urged the stranded tourists not to worry, affirming that the government is fully committed to their safe return.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security on Wednesday.
The Cabinet Committee of Security (CCS), which met on Wednesday, was briefed in detail on the terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir in which 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen were killed.
The attack, carried out by terrorists at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam on Tuesday, is one of the deadliest in the Valley since the 2019 Pulwama strike in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed. The attack was one of the biggest terror attacks in the region after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
The Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police have launched a search operation in the general area of Baisran, Pahalgam, Anantnag, to nab the perpetrators of the attack. (ANI)
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