Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has formed a dedicated working group to monitor the safety of people from the state who are stranded in conflict-affected West Asia, officials said on Tuesday.
The decision was taken during a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Anu Garg on Monday, they added.
The Secretary-General has instructed all relevant departments to closely monitor the evolving situation and remain fully prepared to respond as required.
“In this context, the Odisha government has constituted a task force in coordination with the Odisha Parivar Directorate, the Home Ministry, the State Labor Directorate and the Office of the Protector of Migrants under the Ministry of External Affairs,” a statement said.
Pritesh Panda, officer on special duty in Odisha Paribar District, has been appointed as the sole point of contact for coordination with the Odia diaspora.
DGP YB Khurania, who was present at the meeting, said the situation was being closely monitored.
He also said that social media posts are strictly monitored and immediate action is taken wherever necessary.
State Labor Minister Ganesh Ram Singkuntia said his ministry is closely monitoring the situation around the clock.
“Prime Minister Mohan Sharan Majhi is in touch with MEA and the Union Home Ministry for the safe return of Odia people stranded in conflict areas,” he told PTI.
Panda said he has received more than 200 phone calls from family members of Odia people, who are eagerly awaiting a safe return to their hometown.
He added: “But we have not received any distress call yet.”
“We are also in constant contact with Odia communities in West Asia,” he said.
Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei was killed in a major attack launched by Israel and the United States on Saturday.
US President Donald Trump said that the intensive and targeted bombing of Iran will continue throughout the week or as long as necessary.
Following this situation, many airspaces in West Asia were closed, causing massive flight disruptions, leaving people stranded in different cities.
This article was generated from an automated news feed without any modifications to the text.
