ITANAGAR, 5 May: The Arunachal Pradesh government is making all efforts to safely evacuate the students and citizens from Arunachal Pradesh stranded in violence-hit Manipur, said Home Minister Bamang Felix on Friday.
Addressing media persons here, Felix informed that “the state government is in constant touch with its Manipur counterpart and closely monitoring the situation.”
He said that “communications have also been made with the stranded students and people of Arunachal Pradesh.”
“According to the latest data, altogether 263 students are stranded, while 34 students have managed to safely return to Arunachal Pradesh,” the minister said.
Felix further informed that, as of now, “all stranded students are within their respective campus, and they are safe,” and added that “request for additional security has also been made for their protection.”
“I urge all affected students and their parents to remain calm and not panic during these challenging times. Students who are in their campus should continue to remain inside the campus,” said the home minister.
Commenting on the government’s evacuation effort, Felix informed that a chopper was requisitioned for the task but could not get clearance from the air traffic control in Manipur on Friday afternoon “due to air traffic congestion.”
“Efforts are also underway to charter flights and, as soon as the ATC gives clearance, it will initiate the evacuation process,” Felix added.
As per the latest ground report, the situation in Manipur is limping back to normalcy. However, at the direction of Chief Minister Pema Khandu, a control room has been established at the civil secretariat here, under the chief secretary and the DGP, to handle the situation, the minister informed.
Parents and students seeking support and assistance can call the following helpline numbers of Manipur: 8730931414/8794475406/7005257760. They can also contact the AIGP Itanagar (8471889572), the Guwahati DRC (7086026788), and the Itanagar additional SP (7630090058), the minister said.
