Santosh Nanavare | Mumbai
Wire Centre
CM Fadnavis Pilgrims Stranded Tibet: Thirty-seven pilgrims from Maharashtra, who were stranded in Saga, Tibet while returning from the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, have safely departed for Kathmandu via the Nyalam checkpoint at 6 am today, following swift intervention by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The group of pilgrims — from Thane, Pune, Alibaug, Raigad, and Dombivli — had travelled to Tibet for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and got stranded in Saga during their return journey. With their flight back from Kathmandu scheduled for 2 pm on August 29, reaching the Nepali capital on time had become critical.
CM Fadnavis Pilgrims Stranded Tibet – Swift Government Intervention
As soon as the situation came to his attention, CM Fadnavis immediately reached out to the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, seeking urgent assistance. Following this coordination, the pilgrims’ safe passage from Saga to Kathmandu was arranged and set in motion without delay. The intervention came at a time when parts of the border region have faced disruptions due to recent flooding in Nepal and along the Tibet border, making cross-border coordination between Indian and Nepali authorities especially important for ensuring the pilgrims’ timely and safe passage. The stranded devotees expressed gratitude to CM Fadnavis, the Maharashtra government, and the Ministry of External Affairs for the prompt help extended during a moment of crisis, noting that the speed of the response eased what could otherwise have been a prolonged and stressful wait far from home.
The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, considered one of the most significant pilgrimages for devotees of Lord Shiva, draws thousands of Indian pilgrims to the Tibet region each year, with routes that pass through remote, high-altitude terrain often subject to sudden weather and logistical disruptions. Given the remoteness of the route and the limited infrastructure in the region, government coordination during unexpected disruptions has historically played a critical role in ensuring pilgrims are able to complete their journeys safely and on schedule.
[ PHOTO: Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrims ]
CM Fadnavis Pilgrims Stranded Tibet – List of Pilgrims on the Return Journey
The group of 37 pilgrims included 17 men and 20 women. Among the men were Pramod Dinanath Kene, Shashikant Pangaonkar, Dattarey Joshi, Hemant Mukund Dandekar, Nitin Balkrishna Gandhi, Dinesh Gandhi, Bajrang Parab, Santosh Alurkar, Sameer Ashokrao Ghoderao, Rakesh Dnyaneshwar Jitekar, Shrikant Dhavale, Surendra Joshi, Shrikant Krishna Patil, Aditya Rajan Deshmukh, Nitin Suryakant Shirke, Sanjay Pandurang Deshpande, and Vivek Arvind Pande. The women in the group included Sonali Belosay, Sunita Pangaonkar, Sneha Aswad Kulkarni, Suvarana Ravindra Joshi, Vrishali Abhijeet Puranik, Rashmee Seth, Poonam Sabnis, Shama Sathe, Renuka Alurkar, Arati Vinayak Kakarmath, Aparna Ashok Kadam, Madhavi Joshi, Rucha Shreekant Patil, Sonal Joshi, Seema Shimpi, Hemlata Dattatraya Borse, Anjana Rajan Rajput, Sangita Sanjay Deshpande, Sneha Vivek Pande, and Varsha Kari.
CM Fadnavis Pilgrims Stranded Tibet – A Reassurance for Future Pilgrims
The successful resolution of this case is likely to serve as reassurance for other pilgrims and their families who undertake similar high-altitude religious journeys each year, particularly given the remote and often unpredictable nature of travel through the Tibet-Nepal border region. It also underscores the coordination channels available between state governments and the central Ministry of External Affairs when Indian citizens face unexpected difficulties while travelling abroad. Officials noted that such swift responses depend heavily on early reporting of the situation, which in this case allowed authorities to act before the pilgrims’ scheduled onward flight from Kathmandu.
