Mumbai, Aug 27: Following severe flooding, landslides and earthquakes in the Nepal-Tibet region, the Maharashtra government is actively gathering information regarding tourists from the state currently stranded in the affected areas.

Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan on Thursday confirmed that state authorities are in constant communication with the Union Government and that relief mechanisms are operating round the clock.

Mahajan said officials had successfully contacted four tourists so far, confirming they were safe. The administration had collected details for roughly 80 individuals. However, communication remained severely impaired because damaged mobile networks and landline outages cut off the affected regions.

A group of tourists travelled to Mansarovar via two vehicles organised by Richard Tours & Travels. Approximately 37 passengers in one vehicle have been confirmed safe. Operations are ongoing to track down the remaining travellers despite severe transportation disruptions caused by landslides, he said.

Mahajan urged families not to panic, emphasising that both central and state agencies were leaving no stone unturned to locate and assist every traveller from Maharashtra. He further stated that all District Collectors across Maharashtra had been instructed to compile lists of residents who recently travelled to the Nepal-Tibet region.

The state government has appealed to relatives and the general public to share any available details regarding stranded individuals.

To streamline information collection and facilitate immediate relief, the Maharashtra State Disaster Management Authority (Control Room, Mantralaya) has launched a dedicated online portal and 24/7 helpline numbers. Relatives can register details of stranded family members at https://geospatial.mahaseoc.in/Sahayata_gulf/.

The government has released the following numbers: State Control Room Toll-Free Number 1070 and Direct Control Room Line +91-9321587143. The official email is controlroom@maharashtra.gov.in. Family members of tourists currently in Nepal are strongly encouraged to submit complete details through the official link or contact the control room immediately, said Mahajan.

Kathmandu, Aug 27: Nepal’s ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party MP Vidushi Rana on Thursday expressed gratitude to India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sending aid whenever a disaster strikes the Himalayan nation, while asserting that the focus of Prime Minister Balendra Shah-led government is to save maximum lives.

Her reaction comes after at least 270 people lost their lives in the tragic Bhote Koshi floods in Nepal, with scores, including Indians, still missing.

Speaking to media, Vidushi Rana said: “Whatever happened is very, very unfortunate. I haven’t slept all night just thinking about people, about families who are missing their children, missing their loved ones, and just hoping for some good news to come, just to know that everything is okay.”

“After the earthquake in Nepal in 2015, I think this is one of the biggest devastations in the country. But the government is super proactive. The most important thing for us right now is to carry out rescue operations,” she added.

The RSP MP mentioned that the Nepal government has launched private helicopters along with the government ones to carry out the rescue operations.

“The hospital beds have been kept free, even in Kathmandu. The less urgent surgeries which were scheduled for today or tomorrow have been postponed to a later date because we want hospital beds to be ready (for victims). The government is working very hard as we want to save as many lives as possible,” she said.

Expressing gratitude to PM Modi, Rana said: “I am really, really thankful to PM Modi because, as soon as this happened, he gave a condolence message to the families who are suffering and to the country. We’ve already received a lot of relief materials from India. Every time there is a disaster, we get help from India.”

“We are getting calls from the international community also for the help, like ambulances and other things,” she added.

Further, Rana said that Nepal is “very fortunate” to have India as its neighbour because “it is a big market for us”.

“The India-Nepal open border, which is 1,751 kilometres long, is not just an open border. It is a border that connects people, cultures and customs. We have a ‘Roti-Beti’ relationship, where Nepali girls are married in India and Indian girls are married in Nepal. So, we have a different relationship with our neighbour, and very few neighbours can boast of that. The relationship between India and Nepal has not developed only today. Historically, geographically, and in every way, we have been connected,” she noted.

Meanwhile, BJP National Executive Member Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, who is also in Kathmandu, described the visuals of the tragedy as “very frightening and causing immense grief and pain”.

“The Government and the people of India have expressed their condolences. We have seen visuals of a bridge being washed away due to flash floods. But I believe that during such tragedies, the ties between India and Nepal become even stronger because our relationship is of empathy,” he told media.

Further, he likened the India-Nepal bilateral ties to “a relationship between two brothers living in the same family”.

“There is no elder brother or younger brother in this relationship…It is a people-to-people relationship between both nations,” he added.

New Delhi, Aug 27: As a group of Muslim women protested outside the Congress headquarters, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said on Thursday that the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, had been exposed and accused him of indulging in vote-bank politics.

Speaking to reporters, Union Minister Giriraj Singh said Rahul Gandhi had been exposed on several occasions, with Muslim women now highlighting what he described as the Congress leader’s politics.

“Rahul Gandhi’s face has been exposed many times, and Muslim women have exposed him again. You saw it when he met the youth, and now Muslim women have done it. Rahul Gandhi does vote-bank politics,” Singh added.

He also accused Rahul Gandhi and the Congress of remaining silent on issues concerning Muslim women.

“He (Rahul Gandhi) was silent when there were protests in Punjab. Today, Muslim women have exposed him in such a way. He does not speak about the freedom of Muslim women. Why would he say anything when his father changed the Supreme Court’s judgment in the Shah Bano case? He bowed down before the Muslims. Today, he has been exposed,” Giriraj Singh told media.

BJP National Spokesperson Guru Prakash also targeted Rahul Gandhi, referring to his remarks on patriarchy and raising questions about the Congress’ record concerning women leaders.

“Rahul Gandhi often talks about patriarchy. I want to ask him, which daughters are you talking about? You should know your history,” Guru Prakash said.

He referred to the Shah Bano case and raised issues related to Congress leaders and women politicians, including Kumari Selja and President Droupadi Murmu.

“When a Dalit woman like Kumari Selja wants to do politics in Haryana, you do not let her. And when a tribal woman occupies the highest Constitutional position, what did your leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury say about her? Is a Dalit’s daughter not a daughter? Is a Muslim’s daughter not a daughter? You called Maneka Gandhi a traitor. So, it is not right to make such comments about daughters,” he told media.

Uttar Pradesh Minister of State Dinesh Pratap Singh said, “The entire country is witnessing this. Rahul Gandhi never misses an opportunity to malign India, whether by participating in events that go against the nation or by colluding with foreign forces to tarnish its image. The people of the country, and especially Muslim women, realise this. Although Indian Muslims were previously unfairly stereotyped as not being Bharatiya Janata Party voters, our Prime Minister (Narendra Modi), mindful of the dignity and honour of Muslim women, abolished the regressive practice of ‘Triple Talaq’ and restored their honour.”

Meanwhile, a group of women on Wednesday staged a protest outside the Congress headquarters against the Congress and Rahul Gandhi.

Speaking to media, one of the protesting women said they wanted Rahul Gandhi to accord Muslim women equal respect and representation.

“Our (Congress) government is in Karnataka, but there is not a single woman Minister. We also live in this country; India belongs to us too. We only want to say that he (Rahul Gandhi) should not take the wrong meaning of ‘triple talaq’. We are strong and want him to do his work, include women, and include Muslim women as well,” she had said.