Govt seeks Sikkim help to rescue stranded Odias

Bhubaneswar: The state govt has reached out to its counterparts in Sikkim to expedite the rescue of tourists stranded in different parts of Sikkim due to landslides following incessant rainfall in the Himalayan state.
“There is no need to panic as all the tourists from Odisha are safe and efforts are being made to bring them back to the state. I have asked the director of Odisha Mo Parivar to coordinate the rescue,” said Satyabrata Sahu, special relief commissioner (SRC), Odisha.
Senior govt officials said since tourists are stranded in different places, it is difficult to tell the exact number of visitors from Odisha.“We are in constant touch with the nodal officer who is in charge of rescue operation in Sikkim. They have assured us that all tourists from Odisha are safe and are in their hotels. We are trying to get in touch with them,” said Dilip Rourtai, director of Odisha Mo Parivar, which is a single-point interface to resolve issues outside the state and country. Officers coordinating the rescue operation said tourists from Odisha are mostly stranded in the Lachung area. “The Sikkim govt is already in action and the evacuation process has started,” said Pritish Panda, officer on special duty at Odisha Mo Parivar.
“Family members of the stranded tourists from the state need not be worried as all tourists are safe and no casualties have been reported so far. Many tourists have returned to their respective hotels and have been rescued by using helicopters and other resources. Since mobile network in many areas have been disrupted, it has become difficult to connect with them. Officials are visiting hotels physically to locate tourists following which we will get details of the stranded tourists,” Panda said. Over 1,200 tourists from across the country and 15 foreigners were reportedly stranded due to the landslides, sources said.