23 stranded Odisha tourists back from Nepal

Bhubaneswar: What was meant to be a leisure trip turned into a harrowing experience for 23 tourists from Jajpur district, who got caught up in the political upheaval in Nepal and were worried whether they would be able to return home."We reached Kathmandu on Monday when the situation was quite normal. On Tuesday morning, we went to Pashupatinath Temple and had plans to go sightseeing when violence erupted," recalled Lopamudra Mishra, a resident of Sundarpur village."We saw the violence unfold from our hotel room. We were shaken and scared. The hotel staff asked us to switch off the lights and stay calm," Lopamudra said over phone. She was in the group of 23 which included three children and seven women. Lopamudra said their travel agent in Kathmandu helped them reach the border through a forest route.The group had travelled to Nepal but got stuck following political turmoil and street protests in several parts of the Himalayan nation. They managed to reach out to the Odisha govt, which swung into action. Odisha Paribar Nirdeshalaya, an initiative under the department of Odia language, literature and culture established to support the Odia diaspora, facilitated the smooth exit of the stranded tourists, an official source said.Coordinated efforts by the Odisha Paribar Nirdeshalaya, the office of the chief resident commissioner in New Delhi, ministry of external affairs, Embassy of India in Kathmandu, and Dr Manoj Kumar Mohapatra, India's Ambassador to Romania, ensured the safe evacuation of the group."All 23 tourists from Odisha have returned safely and are in good health. They have crossed the Indo-Nepal border through Raxaul and will take a train to reach Odisha soon," an official source said.