Kailash yatra blues: Stranded couple from Mysuru moved to safer location

Mysuru: The couple from Mysuru who were stranded at Simikot in Nepal due to inclement weather, along with several other pilgrims during their Kailash Manasarovar trip, have reportedly been safely moved to Nepalgunj, according to their son Guruduth in Mysuru.

According sources at Shankara Yatra, an agency which took the couple on the trip, they are part of a 19 member group evacuated from Simikot to Nepalgunj. Sixty-year-old Manjegowda, a retired KSRTC bus conductor and his wife 56 year old Chandrakala, residents of Bogadi here, were among 250 pilgrims including 230 from Karnataka who had travelled to Kailash Manasarovar utilising the services of Shankara Yatra.

The couple’s son, Guruduth told Deccan Chronicle that his parents are safe. “My father contacted me on Wednesday morning. They are likely to be moved to Bengaluru on Thursday evening. On Tuesday, they had contacted me on the landline of the hotel room where they stayed in Simkot,” he said.

Shankara Yatra sources said, “Most of the pilgrims are senior citizens. With not many flights operating, it’s tough to get boarding passes for all, they have to be evacuated in phases. So the pilgrims are getting restless and losing patience. We are trying our best to be in constant touch with our tourist guides who have accompanied the pilgrims. We do not have exact figures of the pilgrims stranded in Hilsa and Simikot. The entire group is likely to be evacuated and moved to safe destinations by Thursday evening,” they said.

Mysuru DC Mr Abhinav G Shankar said that as per the update from the Indian embassy in Nepal, 629 people were stranded in Simikot and 451 in Hilsa. “The Indian Mission had evacuated 158 people from Simikot to Nepalganj and over 250 from Hilsa to Simikot. The weather is bad and any attempt to speed up the rescue process would be a risk. The Indian embassy in Nepal has asked people not to panic,” he said.