200 pilgrims return to Andhra in TDP-charted plane


Hyderabad, Jun 25 (IANS): Nearly 200 Uttarakhand pilgrims belonging to Andhra Pradesh arrived here late Monday night by an aircraft chartered by the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

The party leaders also arranged special buses at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport to transport all 196 pilgrims to their respective towns.

TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu's son Lokesh received the pilgrims at the airport and oversaw the arrangements for their journey to their destinations.

Amid mounting criticism of the Congress government in coming to the rescue of the pilgrims, it was Naidu who was personally present at Delhi airport to console and see off the pilgrims.

He spoke to the airport authorities to get clearance for the pilgrims not having any identity proof.

Naidu, who returned to India from the US Sunday, was angry over what he said were the shoddy arrangements made by the state authorities.

He staged a sit-in and criticized the government for not hiring aircraft -- a la Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

Naidu visited Dehradun Monday and called on Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna.

He complained of discrimination against non-Hindi speaking pilgrims and demanded immediate steps to rescue those from Andhra Pradesh.

Some TDP MPs and other leaders rushed to Dehradun to make arrangements for the pilgrims' travel. NTR Trust, run by TDP, deputed medical teams to both Dehradun and New Delhi.

Naidu said he chartered an aircraft and made other arrangements on humanitarian grounds. He denied the allegation by Congress that he was playing politics over a tragedy.

Some pilgrims who returned by the aircraft complained that the Andhra Pradesh government failed to make any arrangements.

"There were policemen and other officials from other states to take care of their people and they wanted to know why nobody has come from Andhra," said a woman pilgrim of Vijayawada.

According to officials, of the 2,772 pilgrims who went to Uttarakhand for pilgrimage, 1,500 have returned.

Officials have confirmed eight deaths while 35 pilgrims are reportedly missing. Over 1,000 pilgrims are still stranded in Uttarakhand.

  

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  • SAMEER KUMAR, VIZAG

    Tue, Jun 25 2013

    CBN'S DISASTER MANAGEMENT APPRECIABLE. WHEN IN POWER, HIS QUICK RESPONSE IN SENDING RESCUE TEAMS TO ORISSA FLOODS LAUDED BY EVERYONE. HIS EFFORTS ARE LOOKED AS POWER POLITICS BY OPPONENTS. SONIAJI WANTS RAHUL TO BECOME PM, VIJAYAMMA WANTS JAGAN TO BECOME CM, ADVANIJI WANTS TO BECOME PM AND EVERY ONE IN POLITICAL ARENA SOMEHOW WANTS TO COME TO POWER. PEOPLE VOTED MR CBN INTO POWER KNOWING FULLY WELL THAT HE HAS DESERTED NTR MEANS PEOPLE FELT THAT WHAT HE DID IS RIGHT OTHERWISE STATE WOULD HAVE GONE TO DOGS. UNTIL CBN'S HIRING AIRCRAFT AND DEPLOYING NTR TRUST DOCTORS TO SERVE THE STRANDED PEOPLE, WHY AP STATE GOVT DID NOT DO THAT AND OTHER SO CALLED PARTIES DID NOT TAKE INITIATIVE IN THIS DIRECTION. WHEN HE HAS SENT DOCTORS WITH MEDICINES EVERY BODY WATCHED ON TV THAT HOW THE DOCTORS WERE SENT OUT FROM AP BHAVAN. SOME POLITICIANS ARE TALKING NONSENSE STATING THAT WHAT CBN DID FROM USA. OK HE MIGHT BE LATE, BUT WHAT CENTRAL AND STATE GOVTS DID SO FAR AND HAD THEY DEALT THE SITUATION PROPERLY, WHY PEOPLE ARE SCOLDING THE PARTIES. WHEN CBN IS EXTENDING HIS SUPPORT TO THE BEREAVED FAMILIES PEOPLE SHOULD COME FORWARD TO STRENGTHEN HIS HANDS IF NOT LET THEM DO MORE AND MORE THAN CBN AND LET OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS WHO ARE IN DEEP TROUBLE BE RESCUED AND PROPERLY, SAFELY DESTINED TO THEIR NATIVE PLACES. LET OTHERS ALSO LEARN FROM HIM AND DO GOOD FOR OTHERS AND EARN MORE NAME, FAME AND VOTES. IT IS SHAME ON OUR PART BLAMING CBN WHO IS NOT IN POWER AND INSPITE OF THAT TRYING TO DO SOMETHING FOR THE NEEDY. LET US TRY TO HELP OTHERS AND LET OUR TELUGU PEOPLE BE RESCUED, WELL TREATED, SUPPORTED AND SAFELY RETURNED. MY OWN SISTER WHO IS RESCUED AND RETURNED SAFELY INFORMED THAT IN AP BHAVAN, THOSE WHO BOUGHT TICKETS FROM RLY STATION WERE FACILITATED RETURN JOURNEY AND OTHERS WHO LOST EVERYTHING ARE LOOKING AT THE OFFICIALS IN A HAPLESS CONDTN. When TDP support not acceptable to Govt, then why PM asking Donations from all the NATION,let them collectfrom Congressbrothern

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Title: 200 pilgrims return to Andhra in TDP-charted plane



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