Updated

Bengaluru, Apr 26 (IANS): At least 80 people from Karnataka, who were stranded in quake-hit Nepal, returned to New Delhi on Sunday by a special Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft along with other Indians, an official said.

"Of the 200 stranded people from the state in Nepal, 80 landed in New Delhi and the remaining will return in batches by air or road, as rescue operations are in full swing by our team in coordination with other agencies," Karnataka Disaster Management Authority secretary V.S. Prakash said in a statement here.

The rescued people were accommodated at the state-run Karnataka Bhavan in the national capital for transit halt before returning to their homes in the southern state.

"Sixty-five people -- 35 from Mandya district and 30 from Belgavi district in the state's northern region -- are on way to Gorakphur in Uttar Pradesh by road from across the Nepal border in buses," Prakash said.

The state government has deputed IAS officer Pankaj Kumar Pande and IPS officer Umesh Kumar to Kathmandu to ensure the safe passage of people from the state by coordinating with the Indian and the Nepalese governments.

Majority of the people from Karnataka were pilgrims or tourists to the Himalayan nation.

According to information from Kathmandu, a nine-member group of tourists from Mangaluru, about 350 km from here, who were on a visit to Pokhara, are reported to be safe.

A guide accompanying the group told the Mangaluru-based travel agency which arranged the trip that the tourists were safe and would return to Delhi soon.

The state government has also set up three helplines, including toll free number 1070, to deal with the crisis and help the stranded people or their relatives inform about their location to facilitate their return to India.

The state government is planning to send relief materials to the affected people and provide assistance to the Nepalese government in relief work.

"We are ready to offer all help and send relief materials to the affected people in Nepal through the Indian government," Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told reporters at Gadag, about 410 km from Bengaluru.

A group of 30 people from Tumakuru, about 70 km from here, who were on a pilgrimage in Nepal, were rescued and are being escorted back to the country through Sunauli on the border.

"The pilgrims were at the Manakamana temple near Pokhara when the massive quake struck on Saturday. They were waiting to enter the temple when they felt the tremors," a travel agency operator told a news channel.

In a related development, volunteers of Bengaluru-based Art of Living Foundation (AoL) centre in Nepal have launched a blood donation drive at Dir hospital in Kathmandu to collect blood for the quake-hit victims.

"About 200 people who lost their homes in the quake have been accommodated and given food at our centre in Kathmandu, which has been converted into a shelter camp," AoL said in a statement here.

Bengaluru: All from state in Nepal safe - Chief Secretary

Bengaluru, Apr 27 (DHNS): 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 medical 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.

Anxiety over fate of Udupi priests

Udupi, Apr 27 (DHNS): The earthquake in Nepal has created anxiety in the families of Smartha Brahmins in the temple town, which shares historic ties with the Pashupathinath temple in Kathmandu.

The main priest and assistant priests - hailing from the region - who were working in the Pashupathinath temple were earlier feared to be dead.

However, main priest Raghavendra Bhat and his wife are safe, as they had already travelled to Mangaluru when tragedy struck. The other priests are Sriram Karanth, Girish Bhat, Ganesh Bhat and Narayana Bhat.

Ganesh Bhat hails from Udupi. The Smartha Brahmins from here always had a representation in the panel of the priestly group of the temple. The whereabouts of Ganesh Bhat and others are not known. Puttige Mutt seer Sugunendratheertha Swami, who has close links with Nepal and the erstwhile royal family, said he was not able to contact Ganesh Bhat and others.

The Brahmin priests from Udupi have been serving the Pashupathinath temple from as early as the 14th century. However, priests affiliated to the Sringeri mutt had also served there, the seer said.

The seer said the royal family of Nepal and the Udupi Mutt shared a special bond and the past king of Nepal, the late Beerendra, along with his wife Aishwarya, had visited the Mutt back in 1991.

However, Raghavendra Bhat told Deccan Herald that he had spoken to his colleagues in the temple over the phone and they were all safe.

“The temple is also safe. They said there is no need to worry, as they are safely sheltered in the temple,” Bhat said, quoting the other priests.

Meanwhile, a doctor from Kasargod, who had visited Kathmandu with his two friends, has reportedly gone missing after the quake. Dr Irshad, son of A N Shamshuddin, had obtained a seat for the MD course in Assam.

After the admission formalities, Irshad and his friends had left for Nepal on Friday.

Relief to quake victims after report: CM

Hubballi, Apr 27 (DHNS): Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said that the State government would take up relief measures to bail out Kannadigas stranded in quake-hit Nepal, based on the report of the two IAS officers visiting Khatmandu and other cities in the Himalayan nation to know the ground reality.

He told reporters during a brief stop over at Hubballi airport en route to Gadag. Based on the report, steps would be taken on the nature of relief and assistance to be sent, he said.

Siddaramaiah said, as per the information received so far, around 200 persons from Karnataka were stranded in Nepal. However, there was no information yet on the casualty, he added.