Bhubaneswar, March 11 As many as 35 tourists from Odisha who were stranded in Dubai due to flight cancellations amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia have safely returned home, officials said on Wednesday.
According to a statement by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), nine of the stranded tourists returned to Bhubaneswar via Kochi in Kerala on March 7.
The rest of the tourists returned to the state capital on March 8 via Mumbai on a special Air India Express flight.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed concern over reports that several Odia people were stranded in West Asia due to the prevailing conflict in the region.
Emphasising the need to ensure their safe return, Majhi directed Chief Secretary Anu Garg to closely monitor the situation and take necessary steps to facilitate the return of Odia people, the CMO said.
According to the CM’s direction, Garg held a high-level meeting on March 2, followed by another review meeting on Wednesday.
The Directorate of Odisha Parivar is also in touch with officials of Odia associations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi to gather information about the situation there.
The state government has so far received around 200 telephone calls from Odia people in the West Asia region, the statement said.
So far, 65,000 Indians have safely returned to India from the Gulf nations through special flights, an officer said.