Nepal protests: Maharashtra govt taking all efforts for safe return of its stranded tourists, says Ajit Pawar

“Our top priority is to bring every stranded tourist back home safely and to provide relief to their families,” said Pawar, while urging tourists from Maharashtra not to panic.

He said his government is in constant touch with the Indian Embassy in Nepal through the Ministry of External Affairs and Maharashtra Sadan and is extending all possible assistance to the tourists.

As per the latest information, tourists from Beed district who had travelled to Nepal are returning by road in private vehicles and have already reached Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, Pawar said. The majority of the stranded tourists are from Murbad in Thane district, he noted.

“The state government is fully committed to providing necessary assistance and is in contact with the stranded tourists. All tourists are safe,” Pawar confirmed.

According to reports, hundreds of passengers, many from Mumbai, were stuck at the airport for over 18 hours, facing a lack of information, assistance, or basic amenities. Most of the individuals were pilgrims returning from the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, along with business travellers and tourists, all caught in the unexpected shutdown of air travel.

The suspension followed weeks of intensifying, youth-led protests across Nepal that escalated into violent clashes in major cities, ultimately leading to the resignation of Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) announced a phased resumption of flights from Kathmandu after a security audit.

“We hereby inform that the flights suspended due to adverse circumstances would now be lifted, which has been made in accordance with the decision of the Tribhuvan International Airport Security Committee meeting held today. Passengers traveling to the airport for flights are requested to contact their respective airline companies for flight information and to bring official airline tickets and identification documents with them when travelling,” NCAA said in a statement.

Stranded travellers reported that they finally received assistance when the Indian Embassy officials in Kathmandu arrived at the airport early on Wednesday. Embassy officials met with the travellers and got them escorted to city hotels for temporary accommodation.

“We were escorted to nearby hotels by the Embassy people until we found a comfortable place to stay. This was done only in the morning, almost 18 hours since we were stuck,” Priyank Bhatt, a traveller from Mumbai, also on the Kailash Yatra, told The Indian Express.

Avoid travelling to Nepal: MEA

In response to the situation, the Ministry of External Affairs released a new advisory on Wednesday, recommending Indian citizens to avoid travelling to Nepal until the situation stabilizes.

“In view of the developing situation in Nepal, Indian citizens are advised to defer their travel until the situation has stabilised. Indian citizens presently in Nepal are advised to take shelter in their current places of residence, avoid going out onto the streets, and exercise all due caution. They are also advised to follow local safety advisories from Nepal authorities as well as the Embassy of India in Kathmandu,” the advisory read.