Kanna stranded on Tibet-Nepal border

Kanna stranded on Tibet-Nepal border

HYDERABAD: Housing Minister Kanna Lakshminarayana and 13 others from the State who went on a 11-day Kailash Mansarovar yatra, were stranded in hostile weather at Hilsa on the Tibet-Nepal border.

When reports last came in, the Minister accompanied by his two sons and their families and Praja Rajyam MLA from Bhimlipatnam M. Srinivasa Rao were spending anxious moments in Hilsa (situated at 3,700 metres above sea level) on the Tibet border.

They had set off on a pilgrimage arranged by Delhi-based Southern Travels on June 11 to visit Kathmandu, Nepalgunj, Simikot and Taklakote, Mansarovar and Kailash Parikrama.

Tour operator flayed

On their return journey, they were driven from Taklakote to Hilsa, where they were scheduled to hop into a chartered helicopter for a 22-minute journey to reach Simikot. However, their problems started at Hilsa once the travel agent failed to arrange the chopper for their onward journey.

Contacted by The Hindu on Sunday evening on his mobile, Mr. Lakshminarayana said: “We are sitting in this small place called Hilsa which has no facilities. My travel operator has not responded to our plea to airlift us to escape from this hostile weather,” he said.

Further, the Minister said it had already become dark and his group was not sure when they would be shifted. He criticised the tour operator and accused him of fleecing them. “We spent close to Rs. 1.75 lakh per person for the entire tour, including air travel. Right from beginning, the journey was a fiasco. For two consecutive days we had to return to the hotel after taking a short flight to Nepalgunj for our onward journey to Mansarovar due to bad weather. However, other travellers were accommodated in regular flights,” he pointed out.

Kiran concerned

As soon as the news about the hardship faced by the Minister reached Hyderabad, the Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy expressed concern and directed the Chief Secretary, S. V. Prasad, to coordinate with the Defence Ministry and the External Affairs Ministry to ensure the safe return of the Minister and his group. The Indian High Commission in Kathmandu was also contacted for necessary arrangements.

Speaking to The Hindu, Director of Southern Travels M. Rama Rao said the Minister and his entourage were ‘safe' in Hilsa and were provided accommodation.

They will be airlifted at 6.30 a.m. on Monday. The problem arose as the Minister advanced the return journey by a day, he added.