More than 700 Kashmir-bound passengers, including 200 students, were airlifted to Srinagar from Jammu on Monday evening in a special aircraft of the Indian Air Force, officials said. Amid chaos at a registration counter earlier, the IAF resumed its operation and airlifted these passengers who were stranded in Jammu for the past many days or had gone to Agra and Delhi for a student exchange programme, an official said.
A Jammu-based army spokesperson lieutenant colonel Devender Anand said one C-17 Globemaster aircraft airlifted the students in two different sorties from air force station Jammu.
Meanwhile, while acknowledging former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti’s call to evacuate stranded passengers, defence minister NirmalSitharaman Monday said the army will airlift the stranded people from Srinagar-Jammu highway.
“Army to help air-lift stranded students & others from Jammu to Srinagar & vice versa. Inclement weather affected their movement. Acknowledge the phone call of @MehboobaMufti on this matter. Also just spoke with DC Jammu. @PIB_India @ANI @SpokespersonMoD @DefenceMinIndia,” Sitharaman tweeted.
Earlier, Mehbooba in her tweet has said that she spoke to the minister regarding the stranded passengers and was assured that arrangements would be made to airlift the people.
“Spoke to @nsitharamanji regarding passengers who have been stranded in Jammu for many days now. She has assured me that arrangements will be made to airlift them soon,” Mehbooba tweeted.