22 Pilgrims from Puducherry Stranded in Varanasi Return by Special Bus

Puducherry, May 5 (PTI) All the 22 pilgrims from Puducherry, who had gone on pilgrimage to Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh on March 19 and were stranded there due to the COVID- 19 induced lockdown, returned here on Tuesday by special bus.

Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasasmy contacted his counterpart in Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath and requested him to arrange for the return of the pilgrims and they have since reached their residences at Sathiya Nagar,a release from the Revenue Department said.

District Collector T.Arun told newsmen that these pilgrims had gone on pilgrimage to Varanasi, but were stranded during the lockdown.

They were however accommodated there and provided food after he contacted his counterpart there,he added.

All these pilgrims were quarantined in their respective homes after mandatory screening and stickers announcing the quarantine were also pasted on the doors of their houses,the release said.

The Chief Minister had told newsmen earlier that the territorial government was footing the bill for the transport of people from the Union Territory stranded in other States to return home.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)