Iraq crisis: Families give details about 127 stranded from Haryana

The control room set up by Haryana Government has so far got information about 127 persons from the state who are stranded in strife-torn Iraq.

Majority of those stranded there hail from the northern parts of the state including Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Ambala and Kaithal districts.

Among the stranded persons, 31 are from Yamunanagar district, 36 from Kurukshetra, 23 from Karnal, 29 from Ambala, four from Kaithal and one each from Sirsa, Rohtak, Bhiwani and Mahendergarh districts, an official release said here today.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has given firm assurance that all-out efforts would be made for "safe evacuation of the people from Haryana who have been stranded in the strife-torn Iraq." The state government has set up a round-the-clock functional control room with telephone number 0172-5059197, where people can provide information regarding members of their family or relatives stranded in Iraq so that necessary steps can be taken for their safe evacuation.

Iraq crisis: Punjab to pay expenses for bringing back stranded men
With over 200 people from Punjab stranded in strife-torn Iraq, the state government has decided to bear the expenses for bringing them back safely.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has also decided that the state government would reimburse the distressed families for the phone calls made to that country, an official spokesperson said today. The state government would bear the entire expenditure of bringing the trapped persons back to their homes safely.  Badal had also conveyed this matter to the External Affairs Ministry for ensuring the safe and prompt return of Punjabi, the spokesman said. Read more