Efforts being made to bring back pilgrims from Uttarakhand: Gujarat

VADODARA: The Gujarat government is making all efforts to bring back stranded pilgrims from Uttarakhand, a state minister said today.

Chief minister Narendra Modi was in Uttarakhand reviewing the situation and overseeing arrangements to bring back the pilgrims to Gujarat, Energy and Petrochemicals minister Saurabh Patel said.

Modi arranged for a chartered plane to bring back 135 stranded pilgrims to Ahmedabad today and the plane would carry out more flights to Uttarakhand, Patel stated.

Earlier, a 17-seater plane of the state government had brought back Gujarati families from Dehradun to Ahmedabad.

Besides, 20 buses have been sent to Haridwar to help the stranded pilgrims return, Patel said, adding that medical teams have been sent to attend the ailing pilgrims.