Maharashtra government on Wednesday announced ₹5 lakh financial assistance each to the six families who lost their loved ones in the terrorist attack at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir. It also announced ₹50,000 assistance each for the injured.
Meanwhile, even as Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis assigned minister Girish Mahajan to go to J&K in the morning to ensure a smooth return of the stranded tourists back home, by evening Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde also left for Srinagar in a chartered plane.
Condemning the attack, Fadnavis said the central and state governments are taking strict measures to curb such cowardly acts. He also assured all possible support to the families of the victims and the injured.
Earlier on Wednesday morning, the CMO informed that Water Resources and Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan has been dispatched to Srinagar to coordinate efforts to bring tourists back to the state. BJP ministers Ashish Shelar and Mangal Prabhat Lodha were stationed at the Mumbai airport to coordinate arrangements to receive the mortal remains of the victims. Minister of State Madhuri Misal was stationed at the Pune airport.
Later in the evening, Shinde left for Srinagar to coordinate the rescue work of tourists. On Tuesday night he too sent a team of his party leaders and MLAs to Srinagar to bring tourists from Maharashtra back. Sena ministers Gulabrao Patil, Dadaji Bhuse, Yogesh Kadam were asked to go to Mumbai airport while another minister Prakash Abitkar was asked to be present at Pune.
Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, meanwhile, held a conversation with J&K CM Omar Abdullah on the situation. Pawar informed that the number of flights will be increased to bring stranded tourists back. “He also contacted Union Minister of State for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol to arrange special flights. The state government has appealed to citizens to remain calm and not panic. The tourists’ families are constantly being kept updated with information,” he said.
The Maharashtra government has arranged a special flight to bring Maharashtra tourists in Kashmir back to Mumbai. The Indigo aircraft will bring back 83 tourists to Mumbai on Thursday. The state government will bear the cost.
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Meanwhile, the state government has appointed two officers at the State Emergency Operations Centre to assist affected tourists from Maharashtra, informed Disaster Management Director Satishkumar Khadke.
State Emergency Operations Centre manager Visheshkar Suryawanshi and Control Room Officer Nitin Masale have been appointed at the Ministry Control Room.
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