All Indians, stranded in Libya and desirous of leaving, will be evacuated by March 10, government said today as concern was voiced in Parliament over the condition of the countrymen in the strife-torn nation.
Making a statement in the Rajya Sabha in response to demands by members of various parties, including ruling Congress, Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur said over 9,200 the 16,000 Indian nationals stranded in Libya would have been evacuated by tonight.
Concern was also voiced in the Lok Sabha over possible threat to lives of Indians and the slow process of evacuation.
Giving an update of the situation, Kaur said two Indians have died so far in accidents in Libya.
On evacuation efforts, Kaur said an IL-76 heavy-lift aircraft has been positioned in Cairo to undertake possible operations from Libya and a second aircraft is also being kept in readiness.
Two Navy warships - INS Jalashwa and INS Mysore - are also expected to be there by March 8 to assist in evacuation of any Indian who might still be in the coastal towns of Libya.
Besides, a passenger ship Scotia Prince will reach Benghazi in Libya tomorrow morning after dropping the first batch of 1,188 Indian nationals to Alexandria in Egypt last night.
"We expect to complete the exercise of evacuating all those desirous of leaving Libya by March 10," she said.
The Minister said around 10 per cent of the Indian citizens may have decided to stay back in Libya.
In response to members' concerns, she said there is "no cut-off date" for completion of evacuation.
She also contested a member's contention that China and Philippines had completed their evacuation exercise much before India could do so. China has not issued any official figure and Philippines was yet to complete its evacuation process, she said.
To a query, she said the Government was not charging any fare from them.
"Indian nationals are not required to pay any money for the repatriation... The cost towards their evacuation is being met by the Government," Kaur said.
She said External Affairs Minister S M Krishna has already talked to his Libyan counterpart on March 2 and "was assured of all possible assistance for the purpose."
Kaur said another passenger ship Red Star One was on its way to Misurata and Sirte to take Indian nationals to Malta from where they would be brought back in special flights from Valletta.
The Minister said an air bridge is being established between Sehba and India from tonight and 2,000 Indians would be evacuated from there in next five days.
She said 750 Indian nationals have reached Benghazi from Kufra in Southern Libya by land route and would be picked up by a passenger vessel reaching there.
