The Indian government on Friday started repatriating its nationals, stranded in Bangladesh due to restrictions on flight operation, with 170 students returning in the first phase.
The special Air India flight left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for Srinagar in the morning.
The stranded Indians will be evacuated in phases.
The first flight to Srinagar carried stranded 170 students from various medical colleges in Dhaka.
Apart from this, in the first phase, six more flights of Air India will carry Indian nationals to Srinagar (May 12, May 13), New Delhi (May 9 and May 11), Mumbai (May 10) and Chennai (May 14) in a span of a week with each flight carrying approximately 170 passengers, the High Commissions said.
High Commissioner Riva Ganguly Das was present at the airport and interacted with the students.
She wished the students a safe journey back home, and reiterated government of India’s commitment to the welfare of its citizens abroad.
She said she was particularly pleased that the young students would be able to go home before Eid.
She advised the students to follow the health protocols after reaching India. The students thanked the High Commission for its efforts towards evacuating them, the High Commission said.
The High Commission thanked the principals of the medical colleges who have been “most generous” with their support to the students in this difficult period.
The High Commission was in constant touch with the students and resolved issues related to food, lodging, and finance in close cooperation with the college authorities.
The Ministry of External Affairs has deputed nodal officers for most of the states for the evacuation exercise.
The stranded citizens include many Indian nationals who had travelled to different countries before the lockdown, on various purposes such as employment, studies or internships, tourism, and businesses, among others, are stranded abroad.
Apart from them, there are other Indian nationals who need to visit India in medical emergencies or death of a family member.
