Amaravati, Mar 2 (PTI) The Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Telugu Society has advised Telugu expats residing in the Gulf region to travel to Muscat in Oman for repatriation flights to Kochi and return to India.
A joint attack by the US and Israel on Iran on February 28 triggered an indefinite war, entangling several neighbouring Arab nations in the vicinity, where millions of Indians eke out a living.
Ravi Kumar P Vemuru, president of APNRTS, said the society has advised Telugu expatriates living in the Gulf countries to stay safe in their current locations, adding that the stranded visitors are nervous, especially in Dubai and Oman.
“The flights from Muscat have started already. We are directing them to take the Muscat-Kochi flight and then come back to India,” Vemuru told PTI, adding that Telugu-speaking people living in the West Asia are fine, but temporary visitors are nervous.
As airports in Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi are closed now, he said the Muscat airport is the only route available.
Observing that a hotline has been launched, the APNRTS president appealed to the stranded Telugu expatriates to reach out for the latest information and advice on how to arrange transport and sort out other issues.
Further, he said the contacts of local Telugu-speaking people is being shared with the visitors for help and that several APNRTS coordinators, about 110, present across the Gulf are willing to give refuge.
Noting that a million Telugu people live in West Asia, Vemuru said APNRTS received about 30 calls until Sunday from the war-stricken region.
However, he is not sure as to how many visitors are currently stranded in the Gulf region.
Though APNRTS did not receive any guidelines from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Vemuru said it received a warning, which has been circulated to everyone.
According to the APNRTS president, Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued some directions to the MEA.
Earlier, Andhra Pradesh NRI Empowerment and Relations Minister K Srinivas said the state government is taking urgent measures to safely bring back Telugu expats stranded in the Gulf region due to escalating tensions.
The NRI Empowerment & Relations Minister asked Telugu expatriates in the Gulf to make use of the helplines launched for their assistance.
“We are taking measures to safely bring back the Telugu people stuck in the Gulf nations to the state (Andhra Pradesh) against the backdrop of a war between Israel and Iran,” said Srinivas in an official press release.
Noting that the government has alerted Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Telugu Society (APNRTS) coordinators in the Gulf region to help Telugu people in distress, Srinivas said efforts are on to provide temporary accommodation, security and help in the homes of local Telugu people.
He said APNRTS officials are monitoring the situation and are in touch with its coordinator in the Gulf.
The Minister also appealed to the Telugu community to avail the services of local Indian Embassies.
Further, Srinivas urged the NRIs to rely only on official sources and avoid unverified information or rumours circulating on social media.
PTI STH ROH
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