Pune, March 4 As many as 111 residents from the Pune district, including students – who were stranded in Dubai due to the ongoing US-Israel-Iran military conflict – have returned safely, the local administration said on Wednesday.
A total of 184 residents from the Pune district were stranded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and efforts were being made to bring back the remaining travelers, it said.
Eighty students and four faculty members from the Indira School of Business Studies (ISBS) in Pune were among those who have returned home from Dubai, according to the administration.
A total of 164 tourists from Maharashtra, stranded in the UAE due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia, have returned home on two special flights arranged by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, a Shiv Sena official said in Mumbai on Wednesday.
These flights, which landed at the Mumbai international airport on Tuesday night, brought back travelers from Thane, Ahilyanagar, and Pune districts, who were visiting the UAE when the conflict began last weekend.
The flight timings for the 19 Pune residents still stranded in Dubai have been rescheduled, while the process to bring back the remaining 54 travelers was currently underway, informed District Collector Jitendra Dudi.
Dr. Janardhan Pawar, Dean at the Indira University, thanked the Centre as well as the state government for the safe return of the ISBS students and faculty members from Dubai.
Flight operations to and from most West Asian airports have been disrupted since Saturday due to the conflict in the region, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.
Following the directives of the Centre and the Maharashtra government, important advisories have been issued to ensure the safety of Indian citizens residing abroad. Citizens are urged to contact the District Disaster Management Cell for necessary information, said an official release.
Indian nationals residing in Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Muscat, Jordan, and the UAE have been advised to remain vigilant, avoid unnecessary movement, and strictly follow instructions issued by local authorities and Indian embassies, it said.
In case of emergencies, citizens have been urged to contact the 24x7 helpline numbers of the respective Indian embassies, which are continuously monitoring the situation in West Asia, according to the district administration.
The Maharashtra government has appealed to people from the state residing abroad to maintain patience and rely only on official information.
For assistance or information within the Pune district, citizens can contact the District Disaster Management Control Room at 020-26123371/26133522/26133522, added Collector Dudi.