Efforts on to bring pilgrims from Kerala in Badrinath

Efforts were on to rescue the 19-member group of pilgrims including Sannyasis from Sivagiri Math in Kerala who were stranded in Badrinath due to heavy rain and flood, Minister for Culture and Non-Resident Keralites Affairs K C Joseph informed the assembly today.
Making a statement in the House, Joseph said both Kerala and Centre have taken all possible steps to help the stranded pilgrims who were now in Bholagiri ashram.
Plan was to airlift them from Badrinath and bring them to Delhi by road, he said. The NORKA help desk at the Kerala House in New Delhi had already started steps in this regard, he said.

Air India has also announced free flight tickets to these passengers to enable them to reach home, he said and rejected reports that state government had not taken any steps to bring back the Keralities stranded in Uttarakhand.
Meanwhile, Sivagiri Math Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham Trust officials charged the state government with laxity in taking steps to rescue the stranded pilgrims.
"It is very unfortunate that government is indifferent to the plight of pilgrims from Kerala', the official said.