Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Wednesday reviewed the security situation of Odias living in the Middle East amid the ongoing unrest in the region, with Chief Secretary Anu Garg chairing a high-level meeting at Lok Seva Bhavan.
Chief Resident Commissioner in New Delhi Sucharita Sarangi and Additional Chief Resident Commissioner joined the meeting virtually, while Secretary of the Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department and Director of the Directorate of Odisha Paribar Vijayaketan Upadhyay and Pritish Panda, the nodal officer appointed for rescue operations, were among the key participants present at Lok Seva Bhavan.
During the meeting, the Chief Resident Commissioner informed that the security of airspace in the Middle East remains a critical issue. He briefed officials about discussions held with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and said aviation authorities have been advised to further enhance government-operated air services to facilitate safe travel.
According to data received from the MEA till March 9, nearly 65,000 Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) have returned safely to India through special civilian evacuation channels.
Officials also informed the meeting that 35 Odia tourists were stranded in Dubai due to the temporary closure of airspace. Of them, nine tourists returned to Bhubaneswar via a flight routed through Kutch on March 7, while the remaining 24 arrived in Mumbai on a special Air India Express flight and subsequently reached Bhubaneswar on March 8.
Director of the Directorate of Odisha Paribar Bijayaketan Upadhyay said the department received around 200 phone calls from Odias residing in different Middle East countries. These callers were connected to the toll-free helpline number (1800-118-118-7) set up by the MEA’s special control room, as well as to contact numbers of Indian embassies in the region. The Directorate also linked the callers with Odia community organisations operating in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.
Officials recalled that a high-level committee was constituted on March 2 under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary to monitor the situation. In that meeting, Pritish Panda, OSD in the Directorate of Odia Language, Literature and Culture, was appointed as the nodal officer and point of contact for rescue and coordination efforts.
As per the Chief Secretary’s instructions, three contact officers have now been deployed to assist Odias stranded in the Middle East. They include Vijayaketan Upadhyay, Director of the Directorate of Odisha Paribar and Secretary of the Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department; Additional Resident Commissioner of Odisha in New Delhi Sucharita Sadangi; and nodal officer Pritish Panda.
The Office of the Principal Resident Commissioner in New Delhi has been designated as the nodal office to coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs and regularly update the Odisha government on rescue operations and the safety of Odias abroad. The Protector of Emigrants organisation will also remain in touch with the Odia diaspora and assist in ensuring their safety and evacuation if required.
Chief Secretary Garg directed all departments and concerned officials to remain vigilant and maintain close monitoring of the evolving situation in the Middle East.
