Himachal Pradesh govt in talks with other states to bring back stranded people

The Himachal Pradesh government will coordinate with other states to know the exact number of stranded people from the state before chalking out a plan to bring them home, a senior official said on Thursday.

The state government will also launch an app in which people who want to return back can register, Principal Secretary (Revenue-Disaster Management) Onkar Sharma said.

"An action plan will be prepared to bring them back after getting exact information about the number of stranded people from Himachal Pradesh," he said.

Over 50,000 people from the state who were stuck in other parts of the country due to the coronavirus lockdown have already returned to their native places in their own vehicles after getting e-passes from respective district magistrates, Sharma said.

"Any stranded HP resident who wants to return in his or her own vehicle may get e-pass from respective DMs, whereas the state government will try to make arrangements of buses wherever possible for those stranded Himachalis who do not possess their own vehicles," he said.

"We are in regular touch with the administration of other states and monitoring day to day relief operations on account of the calls and e-mails being received from the people who are stranded outside," he added.

He said 1,618 such calls were registered on helpline numbers of the State Emergency Operation Centre.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has also written to his counterparts to provide necessary help to Himachalis stranded in their states.