Bhubaneswar: Odisha-Mo Parivar, the social service wing of ruling Biju Janata Dal, has extended helping hands to 25 senior citizens stranded in Mumbai due to lockdown in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak.
The senior citizens from Odisha were on pilgrimage to different locations in Rajasthan and Gujarat and were stranded in Mumbai due to complete lockdown of Maharashtra due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The matter was informed to Ashok Chandra Panda, Minister of State, by Bishnu Das Samant, Chairman of Baristha Nagarika Mahasabha, Cuttack.
The Minister communicated the matter to the Chief Minister’s Office and the Convenor Odisha- Mo Parivar Arup Patnaik and requested for intervention in the matter.
Arup Patnaik then got in touch with the group of senior citizens and figured out that 17 of them had managed to book flights for themselves and are experiencing challenge in reaching to the Mumbai airport as the city is completely locked down.
Patnaik then reached out to Tejale, Senior Inspector of Kurla PS and requested his supervision in the matter. Tejale then arranged for police escort for these 17 people till the Mumbai airport so that they can safely board their flight to Bhubaneswar.
The remaining travellers without flight reservations were safely escorted to a hotel in Kurla and necessary arrangements were made for their stay till the lockdown is raised and the city attains normalcy.
All these senior citizens have expressed their gratitude to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for helping them at the time of emergency.
They also thanked Ashok Chandra Panda and the Odisha- Mo Parivar team for reaching out for help in the moment of complete lockdown.