SHILLONG/NONGPOH/ TURA, May 6: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Saturday said over 100 students from Meghalaya were safely evacuated from strife-torn Manipur.
Sixty-six of them reached Shillong on Friday while another 40 reached on Saturday.
Stating that a third batch of 40 others will be evacuated on Sunday, Sangma said the state government is trying to ensure that it is able to bring back almost everyone by Sunday.
“We see the results. The last two days have been difficult for our people studying in Manipur. The government was struggling to evacuate the students. We had chartered a plane but due to circumstances, we did not get a clearance and had to use commercial flights,” the CM said.
He said a large number of students from Meghalaya are studying in Manipur compared to other states of the Northeast and as such, the process of evacuation is taking time.
“We have now confirmed seats for almost everybody except for just 5 or 10 people that will be (arranged) in the next 48-72 hours. We should be able to bring back the students,” Sangma added.
Pointing out that the NPP is one of the six national parties and it has seven MLAs in Manipur, he said it was able to help the stranded students in Manipur due to its good network. Any other political party from Meghalaya would not be able to provide this kind of support, he added.
KSU receives students at Guwahati Airport
KSU members on Friday evening received and escorted Khasi students from Guwahati Airport who were airlifted from Manipur.
The students were pursuing their education at Central Agricultural University (CAU) in Manipur.
Members of the KSU Central Executive Committee led by Vincent Makri ensured that the students were safely transported back home.
One bus left for Garo Hills, while two buses were provided to go towards Khasi-Jaintia Hills to ferry the students.
Political Secretary and Officer on Special Duty to the Chief Minister, Daniel Thangkhiew, also accompanied the stranded students upon their arrival at the Guwahati Airport.
Thangkhiew confirmed that this was the first group of stranded students who had returned to the state, and the state government was seeking two additional flights from the central government to evacuate more than a hundred other stranded Meghalaya students from Manipur. He added that if these two flights were granted, all the remaining stranded students would be able to return to their hometowns within two or three days.
NEIPA condemns violence, seeks peace
The North East Indigenous People’s Association (NEIPA) has condemned the violence in Manipur on April 4 where the lives of many innocents have been affected.
In a release this afternoon, president of NEIPA, Staylin Ingti called upon all indigenous people of the region to come together and maintain peace and harmony while also asking the state and central governments to restore normalcy in the state.
