Andhra Pradesh govt. facilitates return of 107 stranded Telugus from Gulf

As flight operations partially resumed in the conflict-hit Gulf region after a temporary suspension triggered by the ongoing Israel-Iran war, the Andhra Pradesh Government facilitated the return of 59 Telugu church pastors stranded in Bahrain and 48 from Dubai.

Commissioner Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi told Arja Srikanth: Hindu On Saturday, it was reported that 59 Telugu church pastors, who were stranded in Bahrain for nearly a week, finally left for India from King Fahd International Airport that day. The priests were unable to return earlier due to disruption of flight services due to the closure of Bahrain airport amid Israel-Iran war tensions that have disrupted regional air travel.

The plight of the stranded people was first brought to the notice of the AP Non-Resident Telugu Association and the NRI wing of the Telugu Desam Party in Bahrain, where the authorities were informed and immediate intervention was requested.

NRI TDP Gulf Council president Ravi Radha Krishna played a key role in the field along with Raghunath Babu; APNRTS coordinated with the Indian Embassy in Bahrain, airline officials and other stakeholders to ensure their safe return.

Mr. Arja Srikanth, who served as emergency officer for Telugus abroad, maintained constant coordination with ministries, diplomatic missions and aviation authorities to ensure the safe return of the pastors and 48 others.

The returnees expressed gratitude to Ministers Nara Lokesh and Kondapalli Srinivas, APNRTS team, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Indian embassies and Bahraini and Saudi NRI TDP-APNRTS teams for their coordinated humanitarian efforts.