All from State in Nepal safe

Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee said on Sunday that the State government has so far not received any reports of casualty of people from Karnataka in the earthquake-hit Nepal and parts of north India.

Of about 200 people from Karnataka expected to be in Nepal, about 100 of them have returned to Delhi on Sunday. Many of them are staying at Karnataka Bhavan, Delhi. Directions have been issued to provide them with train tickets to return to Karnataka. They will return in batches. Almost all of them are tourists, he added.

“It appears that all those who visited Nepal from the State are safe. We have not received any information on casualty. The government is monitoring the situation round the clock and all necessary measures will be taken to bring back people safely,” he stated.

Adverse weather conditions and continued tremors in Nepal have hampered the rescue operation in the quake-affected region.

 So much so that IAS officer and Bescom Managing Director Pankajkumar Pandey and IPS officer and IGP Umesh Kumar, who were deputed by the State government to bring back affected people from Karnataka, could not reach Kathmandu. The officers will reach the Nepalese capital as soon as possible, he said.

Asked about efforts being made to trace and identify affected people from Karnataka, Mukherjee said the government has opened a toll-free number – 1070. Relatives and friends of those who are missing or who are stranded in Nepal can inform the government using the toll-free number. Besides, people can given information on control room number 080-22340676, he added.

Based on the information received by the government from various sources, about 150 t0 200 people from Karnataka are in Nepal. But it is not yet clear as to exactly how many people from the State are stranded, he added.

The government has decided to send a team of 10 doctors to Nepal to provide medial aid to the affected people. The team is scheduled to leave from Bengaluru on Monday morning, he said.

Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Ananth Kumar has decided to donate his one month’s salary towards earthquake relief works. His salary will be donated to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund, according to a press release from the Ananth Kumar’s office.