A total of 487 Iran returned pilgrims, including 458 from Kargil and 29 from Leh district, were airlifted in three batches through special aircraft of the Indian Air Force on April 21, 22, and 23.
The heads of influential religious orgsations in Kargil as well as the CEC, in their briefing to the media, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs and all other concerned ministries and officers for providing proper medical care and boarding and lodging facilities to the pilgrims at their respective quarantine centres of the Army and Indian Air Force (IAF) at Ghaziabad, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer.
"Pilgrims of Kargil who were stuck in Iran due to the infection outbreak were first evacuated from Iran and were then quarantined at various quarantine centres for nearly a month. Now they have been airlifted here in an Indian Air Force plane. They were looked after properly at the various quarantine centres. We thank everybody for this great effort," Feroz said.
However, they would not be going home just now as they have to undergo another phase of 14-day administrative quarantine for their own and others' safety.
The authorities have further appealed to the Centre for the evacuation of more than 300 pilgrims who are still in Iran at the earliest.
( With inputs from ANI )