Chennai:
With relief writ large on their faces, a batch of about a hundred people from Tamil Nadu, who were stranded in rain-ravaged Uttarakhand for the last few days, arrived at the airport in Chennai today.
Most of those who arrived by a Spicejet flight were pilgrims and included several women. They were brought by air under the initiative of the state government, officials said.
State Transport Minister Senthil Balaji and Tourism Minister Shanmuganathan received them at the Kamaraj Domestic terminal.
The pilgrims from different parts of the state thanked the state and central governments for their efforts in helping them.
Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had yesterday said her government would take all steps on 'war-footing' to bring back the 399 stranded tourists who hail from various parts of the State and the government would bear the transportation charges.
A Help Centre at the Tamil Nadu House in New Delhi - 011-24193455 and 011-24193456 - has been set up while a similar centre was also established here with a toll-free number 1070 to help the families get details about their stranded relatives.