MEA’s 24/7 situation room flooded with queries of Indians in Libya
By ANIThursday, February 24, 2011
NEW DELHI - Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is working overtime at 24/7 situation room to take more than 250 calls and flurry of emails a day from concerned relatives of stranded Indians in Libya.
Under Secretary (Bhutan) in MEA Priyanka Chauhan, who is the shift in charge of the situation room said: ” We are ensuring that families are not left in a situation where they are wondering what’s happening to their loved ones.”
“We are providing facilitation and interface with our embassy there in Libya, which is already flooded with calls and many people in India with relatives in Libya may not be able to contact the embassy directly or their loved ones. We are providing a place where they can call up, they can speak to us. We take down the details of their relatives and pass them on to the embassy,” she added.
Round the clock situation room set up by MEA has been constantly taking calls, emails and faxes of the concerned relatives and have already received more than 600 queries in the last two days.
“The embassy in Libya is also facilitating, I believe there are pockets of Indians 8 to 10 people or going upto 1000, representative of each pocket is in touch with us. If there is no contact with an individual, there is contact with a representative,” said Chauhan.
A young IFS officer, who is on probation in MEA, is performing a 12-hour shift at the situation room.
“We are basically getting lot of phone calls from relatives of Indians living in Libya and they have been asking us what is the situation there, what is the progress on evacuation front,” said shikha, EmplOyee, MEA.
“A lot of them have been able to get in touch with their relatives so they are in contact with them,” she added.
Libya is home to more than 18000 Indians and evacuation of the first batch of Indians is about to begin shortly.
India, which has an experience of large-scale evacuation during the gulf war, is confident to bring its people back home safe, until evacuation gather pace situation room is expected to get busier. By Naveen Kapoor (ANI)
