20,000 Indian nationals evacuated from Nepal: Pradhan

Altogether 20,000 Indian nationals have been evacuated from quake-torn Nepal and arrangements were being made to take them to their homes by trains from Raxaul, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Tuesday.

As many as 20,000 Indian nationals have reached Raxaul from various destinations of quake-torn Nepal since on Monday, he told reporters in Motihari.

Pradhan said that arrangements were being made for trains to send all the evacuees belonging to different states back home.

Elaborating further, he said on the instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Railways have been directed to attach seven additional coaches in Raxaul-Howrah Mithila Express to take those evacuated from Nepal to their native places.

A special train will leave tonight from Raxaul for Kolkata and attachment of some additional bogies in Sadbhavna

Express from Raxaul to Hajipur via Sitarmahi, the Union Minister said.

The railway authorities have been directed to run a special train from Raxaul to Gorakhpur to take evacuees to their respective destinations.

For those arriving from Nepal with only Nepalese currency, Pradhan said the State Bank of India has started currency exchange scheme at Raxaul branch on direction of Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to enable the home-bound people spend their money as per need.

With the dilapidated conditions of NH-28 connecting Indo-Nepal border, obstructing quick transportation of relief materials in the quake-torn neighbouring country, Pradhan said that the concerned authorities have been directed to carry out urgent repair of the roads so that supplies could be rushed for distribution among the affected.

The Union minister said he had talks with Nepal's Commerce Minister Sunil Thapa about relief works and other requirements of the affected people and added that his ministry will ensure supply of petro products to the Himalayan neighbour.

Earlier in the day, the Union Minister visited the relief camps being run by the Shashatra Seema Bal and Indian Oil Corporation at Raxaul and also had a meeting with the officials of the External Affairs, Customs and IOC where he was apprised about the measures being taken to bring back stranded people from Nepal.

Pradhan said as many as 40 vehicles left for Kathmandu, Pokhara and other places of Nepal to bring back the Indian nationals stranded there post-quake.

He said that he has apprised the Prime Minister besides the external affairs minister and home minister about the rescue and relief works going on for the quake-affected people from Raxaul.

The Union Minister said that most of the evacuees hailed from Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand and most of them appeared to be traumatised. 

Image: Victims of Saturday's earthquake lie inside an Indian Air Force helicopter as they are evacuated from Trishuli Bazar to the airport in Kathmandu, Nepal. Photograph: Jitendra Prakash/ Reuters